Night Diary, The by Veera Hiranandani. 2018

Book Break

Inspiration Book:

The night diary by Hiranandani, Veera — Dial Books for Young Readers, 2018 : -Fic-; Int Lvl: 5-8; Rd Lvl: 4.5. Shy twelve-year-old Nisha, forced to flee her home with her Hindu family during the 1947 partition of India, tries to find her voice and make sense of the world falling apart around her by writing to her deceased Muslim mother in the pages of her diary. It's 1947, and India, newly independent of British rule, has been separated into two countries- Pakistan and India. The divide has created much tension between Hindus and Muslims, and hundreds of thousands are killed crossing borders.

Background: This 2019 Newbery Honor title meets my criteria for taking a “BOOK BREAK.” 

I copied the BOOK BREAK idea from Caroline Feller Bauer (1935--2013), a children’s literature specialist, motivational speaker and advocate for using literature in creative, popularized the idea of the Poetry Break. When she found a poem she liked, she’d pop into a classroom with a sign announcing “Poetry Break” and share the new or old poem she wanted found. The result, teachers and students were soon popping into the library or her office with a “Poetry Break.” In fact, Bauer wrote an entire book titled Poetry Break in which she explained the process and included over 240 poems to use for “Poetry Break” starters.

Procedure: Using the idea of popping into a classroom to share a poem, I used the idea to pop into a classroom to to share a book. The idea is really a take on booktalking, but using only one book and the surprise factor. This is how I make it work. 

1. Read, read, read. I use the BOOK BREAK concept to motivate me to read many of the new books for upper elementary and middle school as they arrive. I don’t need to read all of them in one day, but one or two per week. 
2. Once I have read a book(s), I determine whether it will be suitable for a BOOK BREAK. I try to have two or more titles ready, especially if I’m using the potluck approach (See 6-d below.)
1. The book needs to be readable by the average reader.
2. I often limit my choice to a topic not covered in the curriculum.
3. Often my choice is an award winner such as the Inspiration Book above. 
4. The books are primarily fiction, but I don’t limit to fiction. If a nonfiction book has a strong narrative, I include it.
5. A new author.
6. Non-series
7. Diversity
8. Unique approach
3. Always discuss the ideas and plans with the teachers and get their OK of the concept. Ask for times within their schedule when a BOOK BREAK would not be OK. Often right before or after a recess or lunch is a good time.
4. Find a quirky hat or make a jazzy sign (Bauer used the sign). Students and teachers will immediately know what is happening when you pop in.
5. Practice what you want to say and emphasize about a particular book. Limit the time to five minutes.
1. Always tell the title and author
2. Ideas for sharing
1. Summary
2. Publisher promo
3. Read the beginning if it catches the attention.
4. Read an exciting section
5. Planned ahead interview between teacher (give teacher questions) and you.
6. Online Book Trailer
7. Author biography
3. Other options
1. Similar titles--bring them along.
2. Book draw to be the first person to read the title; students interested, write name on card for a drawing at the end of the week.
3. Silent Book auction; students interested make a pretend dollar offer on a card; highest offer wins right to check the book out first.
6. Scheduling. Set aside a slot(s) in your schedule. I like just before recess and lunch. I find that after lunch or recess is too chaotic and the students are still settling down and wandering around. 
1. I do this booktalking version only with grades 4-8, and have a slightly different approach for grades K-3.
2. If there is only one section of each 4th through 8th grade, you can do a BOOK BREAK, one per day in a different classroom each day. I use the same book for the week. Mix up the day of the week you pop-in to each classroom.
3. If there are two sections of each grade, you can do a recess BOOK BREAK and a lunch BOOK BREAK for each classroom each week OR once every other week, varying lunch and recess times. 
4. If there are three or four sections of each grade, I do a potluck approach. I have the name of each classroom on a card in a containers. Then, I ask a representative from the first class in the morning to draw the BOOK BREAK class of the day. If you have prepared more than one BOOK BREAK talk, don’t be afraid to pop into the same classroom two days in a row. That’s part of the fun.
7. Expect surprises. 
1. I’ve had teachers ask if they could do a BOOK BREAK one week. I supervise that classroom while the teacher pops-in elsewhere. Students love to see the teachers.
2. I’ve had students ask to do a BOOK BREAK. Be sure to have them practice with you before they make their debut.
3. I’ve had administrators and parents do a BOOK BREAK. Don’t be afraid to ask them.
4. There may be a reading waiting list for some books.
5. Students may ask for other titles by the same author or about similar titles.

BOOK BREAK for The Night Diary: I don’t do word for word preparation for each BOOK BREAK because they vary from classroom to classroom depending on the students’ reaction and interest. Because I have read the book, I can always expand or contract. This is the outline for the Inspiration Book The Night Diary.

1. Author & Title: The Night Diary, a Newbery Honor book for 2019, by Veera Hiranandani.
2. Setting: Map of India and Pakistan
3. Publisher Promo: It's 1947, and India, newly independent of British rule, has been separated into two countries- Pakistan and India. The divide has created much tension between Hindus and Muslims, and hundreds of thousands are killed crossing borders. Half-Muslim, half-Hindu twelve-year-old Nisha doesn't know where she belongs, or what her country is anymore. When Papa decides it's too dangerous to stay in what is now Pakistan, Nisha and her family become refugees and embark first by train but later on foot to reach her new home. The journey is long, difficult, and dangerous, and after losing her mother as a baby, Nisha can't imagine losing her homeland, too. Publisher
4. To help remember and honor the memory of her mother, Nisha writes in a diary. Nisha, her twin broth Amil, her father and her grandmother Dadi have walked many miles. Their goal is to reach the home of their deceased mother’s brother that is about halfway. I’m going to read Nisha’s diary entry for the day they arrive at Uncle Rashid’s house.  
5. Read aloud the entry for August 30, 1947, pp. 166-172.

Titles from the Notable Social Studies Trade Book List and Outstanding Science Trade Book List, Copyright 2018, that Would Make Good BOOK BREAK titles.

Note: A number of the titles listed below have their own entry in My Books Alive. A link to that entry is listed at the end of the summary for that book.

Ghost boys by Rhodes, Jewell Parker  — Little, Brown and Company, 2018. -Fic-; Int Lvl: 5-8; Rd Lvl: 3.0. After seventh-grader Jerome is shot by a white police officer, he observes the aftermath of his death and meets the ghosts of other fallen black boys including historical figure Emmett Till.

Finding Langston by Cline-Ransome, Lesa  — Holiday House, 2018 -Fic-; Int Lvl: 3-6; Rd Lvl: 3.2. Discovering a book of Langston Hughes' poetry in the library helps Langston cope with the loss of his mother, relocating from Alabama to Chicago as part of the Great Migration, and being bullied. FREE Teaching Resources available for download. My Books Alive blog entry https://www.mybooksalive.com/search?q=finding+langston

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.  My Books Alive blog entry https://www.mybooksalive.com/search?q=blended

Lifeboat 12 by Hood, Susan  — Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers, 2018. -Fic-; Int Lvl: 5-8; Rd Lvl: 4.0. In 1940, a group of British children, their escorts, and some sailors struggle to survive in a lifeboat when the ship taking them to safety in Canada is torpedoed. Includes historical notes.

Amal unbound by Saeed, Aisha — Nancy Paulsen Books, 2018 -Fic-; Int Lvl: 5-8; Rd Lvl: 4.2. In Pakistan, Amal holds onto her dream of being a teacher even after becoming an indentured servant to pay off her family's debt to the wealthy and corrupt Khan family.

The house that Lou built by Respicio, Mae  — Wendy Lamb Books, 2018 -Fic-; Int Lvl: 3-6; Rd Lvl: 4.2. Longing for an escape from her extended Filipino family, Lou plans to build a tiny house on land she inherited from her father, but difficulties quickly arise.

The island at the end of everything by Hargrave, Kiran Millwood — Alfred A. Knopf, 2018 -Fic-; Int Lvl: 3-6; Rd Lvl: 4.3. When the Phillipine government takes over Culion, an island for people with leprosy, Ami is put in an orphanage on another island, where she finds a friend willing to help her return before her mother dies.

Skyward : the story of female pilots in WWII by Deng, Sally — Flying Eye Books, 2018 -Fic-; Int Lvl: 3-6; Rd Lvl: 4.3.  Tells of the experiences of women who flew airplanes for their countries during World War II.

A story like the wind by Lewis, Gill  — Eerdmans Books for Young Readers, 2018 -Fic-; Int Lvl: 3-6; Rd Lvl: 4.4. As a group of refugees huddles together in a rubber dinghy, one of them uses his violin to weave their stories together and give them hope for freedom in the future.

Front desk [large print] by Yang, Kelly — Thorndike Press, a part of Gale, a Cengage Company, 2018 -Fic-; Int Lvl: 3-6; Rd Lvl: 4.5. Recent immigrants from China, desperate for money, ten-year-old Mia Tang's parents take a job managing a rundown Southern California motel for skinflint Mr. Yao, whose son is the only other Chinese American in Mia's class.  My Books Alive blog entry https://www.mybooksalive.com/search?q=front+desk

My life as a diamond by Manzer, Jenny — Orca Book Publishers, 2018 -Fic-; Int Lvl: 5-8; Rd Lvl: 4.5. In this novel for middle-graders, talented baseball player Caspar Cadman has a great arm and a big secret. He used to live life as a girl called Cassandra

Chasing the Nightbird by Russell, Krista  — Peachtree, 2018 -Fic-; Int Lvl: 5-8; Rd Lvl: 4.6.  In 1851 New Bedford, Massachusetts, fourteen-year-old Cape Verdean sailor Lucky Valera is kidnapped by his estranged half-brother and forced to work in a mill, but while Lucky is plotting his escape he meets a former slave and a young Quaker girl who influence his plans. FREE Teaching Resources available for download.

Betty before X by Shabazz, Ilyasah  — Farrar Straus Giroux, 2018 -Fic-; Int Lvl: 3-6; Rd Lvl: 4.9. Raised by her aunt until she is six, Betty, who will later marry Malcolm X, joins her mother and stepfamily in 1940s Detroit, where she learns about the civil rights movement FREE Teaching Resources available for download.

Escape from Aleppo by Senzai, N. H  — Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers, 2018 : -Fic-; Int Lvl: 3-6; Rd Lvl: 4.9. After Nadia is separated from her family while fleeing the civil war, she spends the next four days with a mysterious old man who helps her navigate the checkpoints and snipers of the rebel, ISIS, and Syrian armies that are littering Aleppo on her way to meeting her father at the Turkish border.

Two roads by Bruchac, Joseph  — Dial Books for Young Readers, 2018. -Fic-; Int Lvl: 5-8; Rd Lvl: 4.9. In 1932, twelve-year-old Cal must stop being a hobo with his father and go to a Bureau of Indian Affairs boarding school, where he begins learning about his history and heritage as a Creek Indian. 

Until tomorrow, Mr. Marsworth by O'Connor, Sheila — G.P. Putnam's Sons, 2018. -Fic-; Int Lvl: 5-8; Rd Lvl: 5.1. Desperate to keep her older brother from being drafted in the Vietnam War, eleven-year-old Reenie strikes up an unlikely friendship with Mr. Marsworth, an elderly shut-in, who helps her in her mission.

Breakout by Messner, Kate — Bloomsbury Children's Books, 2018 -Fic-; Int Lvl: 5-8; Rd Lvl: 5.4. From multiple perspectives, tells of a time capsule project and the middle schoolers who contribute, including future journalist Nora Tucker and newcomer Elidee Jones, whose brother is in the local prison.

The crossroads by Diaz, Alexandra  — Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers, 2018 -Fic-; Int Lvl: 5-8; Rd Lvl: 5.5. Sequel to: The only road. Jaime, twelve, and Angela, fifteen, discover what it means to be living as undocumented immigrants in the United States, while news from home gets increasingly worse.

Siege : how General Washington kicked the British out of Boston and launched a revolution by Orgill, Roxane — Candlewick Press, 2018 -Fic-; Int Lvl: 5-8; Rd Lvl: 5.6. "It is the summer of 1775. The British occupy Boston and its busy harbor, holding residents captive and keeping a strong military foothold. The threat of smallpox looms, and the town is cut off, even from food supplies. Following the battles of Lexington and Concord, Congress unanimously elects George Washington commander in chief of the American armed forces, and he is sent to Cambridge, Massachusetts, to transform the ragtag collection of volunteer militiamen into America's first army. The war has so far been little more than a series of intermittent skirmishes, but Washington is in constant fear of attack--until he takes the offensive with results that surprise everyone, the British most of all. FREE Teaching Resources available for download.

Inga's amazing ideas by Rubino, Ann — Catree.com, 2018 -Fic-; Int Lvl: 3-6; Rd Lvl: 5.7. Inga is no ordinary 11-yearold girl and it isn't just her crown of white blond hair that makes her different. Standing with the orphan children she stares ahead with a grim expression, waiting to be chosen for a mother's helper. In 1888, girls are expected to cook, sew, clean and scrub the laundry but Inga has other ideas. She'd rather solve problems than clean; improve machines than cook. But then she's adopted by Mr. Duffy to help his wife, the town pie maker. Lugging her carpet bag she trudges behind her new parents who, to her surprise, live in a blacksmith shop ... filled with tools! Oh the things she could make! If only she didn't have to spend so much time peeling apples ... or does she? Inga engineers her way through Floyd County Iowa as the Swedish girl who can fix things. But does she go too far?

The Parker inheritance by Johnson, Varian — Arthur A. Levine Books, an imprint of Scholastic Inc., 2018 -Fic-; Int Lvl: 3-6; Rd Lvl: 5.9. Twelve-year-old Candice Miller is spending the summer in Lambert, South Carolina, in the old house that belonged to her grandmother, who died after being dismissed as city manager for having the city tennis courts dug up looking for buried treasure--but when she finds the letter that sent her grandmother on the treasure hunt, she finds herself caught up in the mystery and, with the help of her new friend and fellow book-worm, Brandon, she sets out to find the inheritance, exonerate her grandmother, and expose an injustice once committed against an African American family in Lambert. My Books Alive blog entry https://www.mybooksalive.com/search?q=parker+Inheritance

Merci Suarez changes gears  by Medina, Meg  — Thorndike Press, a part of Gale, a Cengage company, 2018 -Fic-; Int Lvl: 3-6; Rd Lvl: 6.3. "Merci Suarez relies on her close, extended family as she goes through many changes during her sixth-grade year at Florida's Seaward Pines Academy. FREE Teaching Resources available for download. My Books Alive blog entry https://www.mybooksalive.com/search?q=merci+suarez+changes+gears

The orphan band of Springdale by Nesbet, Anne  — Candlewick Press, 2018 -Fic-; Int Lvl: 5-8; Rd Lvl: 7.3. On the verge of World War II, eleven-year-old Gusta is sent from New York City to Maine, where she discovers small-town prejudices--and a huge family secret. It's 1941, and . . . as the Second World War rages in Europe, eleven-year-old Gusta's life, like the world around her, is about to change. Her father, a foreign-born labor organizer, has had to flee the country, and Gusta has been sent to live in an orphanage run by her grandmother. . . lugging her one precious possession: a beloved old French horn, her sole memento of her father. But . . . how can a girl hang on to something so valuable and yet so useless when Gusta's mill-worker uncle needs surgery to fix his mangled hand, with no union to help him pay? Inspired by her mother's fanciful stories, Gusta secretly hopes to find the coin-like 'Wish' that her sea-captain grandfather supposedly left hidden somewhere. Meanwhile, even as Gusta gets to know the rambunctious orphans at the home, she feels like an outsider at her new school--and finds herself facing patriotism turned to prejudice . . . and a family secret likely to turn the small town upside" FREE Teaching Resources available for download.

Snow Owl Invasion! : Tracking an Unusual Migration by Sandra Markle. 2018

Be the Expert

Inspiration Book:

Snowy owl invasion! : tracking an unusual migration (Sandra Markle's Science Discoveries) by Markle, Sandra — Millbrook Press, 2018. 598.9; Int Lvl: 3-6; Rd Lvl: 6.9. The invasion -- History in the making -- Snowies become snowbirds -- Good news, bad news -- Project SNOWstorm -- A star owl reporter -- The future is snowy. "A historically large irruption of snowy owls during the winter of 2013-2014 brought them across the eastern US, and farther south than usual. Scientists used this opportunity to attach GPS tracking devices to some snowy owls to increase understanding of their winter behavior and migration.

Rationale: Annually in the fall, the fourth graders in my school do a bird of prey unit based on Owls in the Family  or There’s an Owl in the Shower. Sometimes the fourth grade skips this book study and the birds of prey unit is done when the fifth grade reads Hoot. 

The library portion of the unit involves the students' first research project of the year about birds of prey or owls. In another entry, I’ll describe the whole class research for birds of prey.

Depending on the class composition for any given year, the research project takes different forms. If the unit is with fifth graders one approach I like to do, I call “Class Expert.” Instead of having a guest speaker come to the class, a small group of three or four students become the “experts” on a topic. 

In order to be a productive and useful “expert” presentation, considerable guidance may need to occur. First, the teacher and librarian need to decide the following:

*Decide what basic owl facts should be shared: kinds of owls, total number of owls, what makes an owl an owl, examples of owls, feeding, young, range, habitat, appearance, etc.

*Determine the mode and or media to use to share.

*Decide whether Snowy Owl Invasion could or should be the basis for the research and presentation. If this is the group’s first effort at being the “Class Expert,” using only this one resource works well. The group isn’t so overwhelmed.

* Determine the number and kinds of resources: books discovered via catalog or pulled for students, online references, periodicals, Internet search, interviews, etc.

*Determine assorted grading criteria: content, sources, illustrative materials, poise during presentation, ability to answer questions from class, organization, required presentation time.

Once the teacher and librarian know the basic requirements, the librarian can guide the students. 

When doing a research project with a class, we arrange to have the class come to the library two or three times a week for two or three weeks. When doing a research project with a small group of students, I schedule to have direct instruction with the group on the first day without interruption by another class or group. Thereafter, the small group comes and goes when the teacher and I have arranged, but they are expected to work on their own, if and when another class is in the library or computer lab. The time does not need to be when the teacher is doing the book study. It’s probably best not to be at that time because the students should also benefit from and enjoy the book being read. I have had a wonderful assistant who helps the students when and if they need help. I also have had parent and grandparent volunteers help small groups of students successfully. 

Having a modified flexible schedule provides the time needed. I have found that in schools with one or two sections of each grade it is possible to have a modified flexible schedule. In larger schools students in grades K-2 have a set weekly schedule while the other grades have a modified flexible schedule. It is also helpful not to have every section of a class doing the very same research project at the same time.

After students have done the research, they prepare an informational presentation for their class. A visual or visuals are required and help the young presenters keep focused and be less nervous. What types of visuals? Posters, slides, PowerPoint, audio, video clips--whatever is available on their topic. If this is their first attempt at “Class Expert” the students will need more suggestions and guidance.  The illustrative material may be commercial, found on the Internet or in a print source, or handmade. You may want to determine that in advance. 

Practice. Arrange for a time to be the “Class Experts” back in the classroom. It’s also fun to “promote and publicize” the presentation as though a guest speaker were coming. Arrange to have the presentation(s) videoed--or video in advance and show only  the video if the students are nervous. Then gather the group again and evaluate the whole process, from introduction, work time, resources, quality of work, and the sharing of the presentation.

Another Idea: If the fourth grade class did research in fourth grade, read Wild Wings (Lewis, Atheneum, 2011)  aloud to begin the fifth grade (5th) the year after the research project and thus, bridge two grades. There is a Books Alive entry for Wild Wings at https://www.mybooksalive.com/search?q=wild+wings

Or, you may also want to use Belle’s Journey : an Osprey Takes Flight, a NSTA Outstanding Trade Book for 2019. Belle may have its own entry at some time as a spin-off of the 4th grade research or combine Belle with the entry for Wild Wings.

Related Titles to Include for Research:

Snowy owls : hunters of the snow and ice (Animals Of The Snow And Ice) by Landau, Elaine  — Enslow Publishers, 2010 598.9; Int Lvl: 3-6; Rd Lvl: 3.5.  Provides information about snowy owls, covering topics such as habitat, eating habits, mating, physical characteristics, and conservation.

Snowy owls (Big Buddy Books: Arctic Animals) by Murray, Julie — ABDO Publishing Company, 2014 598.9; Int Lvl: 3-6; Rd Lvl: 3.6. Amazing arctic animals -- Snowy owl territory -- Welcome to the Arctic! -- Take a closer look -- Feathered fliers -- Mealtime -- Great hunters-- Family life -- Incredible eggs -- Baby owls -- Survivors. Text and photographs provide an introduction to the snowy owl.

Otis the owl (Arbordale Collection) by Holland, Mary  — Arbordale Publishing, 2017. 598.9; Int Lvl: K-3; Rd Lvl: 3.9. "In ... detailed photographs, Mary Holland captures the first few months of a baby owl's life. ... Follow along as Otis learns to eat, fights with his sister, and prepares for flight.

Owls by Gibbons, Gail — Holiday House, 2013. 598.9; Int Lvl: K-3; Rd Lvl: 4.0. Provides general information about the physical characteristics, hunting and eating, nesting, and parenting behaviors of owls, and includes introductions to the twenty-one types of owls believed to be living in North America. 

Mama built a little nest by Ward, Jennifer — Beach Lane Books, 2014. 598.156; Int Lvl: K-3; Rd Lvl: 4.3. Illustrations and simple, rhyming text introduce different kinds of birds' nests, from the scrapes falcons build on high, craggy ledges to the underground nests burrowing owls dig. Includes brief facts about each kind of bird.

My book of birds by Valerio, Geraldo  — Groundwood Books / House of Anansi Press, 2016. 598; Int Lvl: K-3; Rd Lvl: 4.4. Illustrations of birds with brief descriptions that highlight facts about each bird.  Geraldo Valerio is an artist who loves birds, from majestic golden eagles and snowy owls to brilliant cardinals and jays to the tiniest of hummingbirds. 

Snowy owls : stealthy hunting birds (Comparing Animal Traits) by Hirsch, Rebecca E  OP — Lerner Publications, 2016 598.9; Int Lvl: 3-6; Rd Lvl: 4.8. Meet the snowy owl -- What do snowy owls look like? -- Where do snowy owls live? -- Hunting with snowy owls -- The life cycle of snowy owls. "This book covers information (life cycle, appearance, habitat) about the snowy owl. Each chapter discusses an aspect of the snowy owl's life, comparing the bird to a similar bird and to a very different bird.

Owls! (Strange And Wonderful) by Pringle, Laurence — Boyds Mills Press, an imprint of Highlights, 2016 598.97; Int Lvl: 3-6; Rd Lvl: 5.8. Explores the various kinds of owls, describing their physical characteristics, basic body parts, habitats, behavior, and reproduction. FREE Teaching Resources available for download at www.titlewave.com

Snowy owls (Polar Animals: Life In The Freezer) by Owen, Ruth — Windmill Books, 2013 598.9; Int Lvl: 3-6; Rd Lvl: 6.0. The hunter -- The world of the snowy owl -- Snowy owl habitat -- Physical facts -- Fabulous feathers -- What's on the menu? -- Sitting and waiting -- Snowy owl pellets -- Snowy owl romance -- Eggs and chicks -- Defending the nest -- Raising chicks -- The future for snowy owls. Describes the physical characteristics and habits of snowy owls, hunting birds of the Arctic coast, as well as their numbers in the future.

Unusual animal journeys (Epic Animal Journeys) by Hyde, Natalie — Crabtree Publishing Company, 2020 591.6; Int Lvl: 3-6; Rd Lvl: 6.9. Introduction -- Australian plague locust -- Gray squirrel -- Barred knifejaw -- Snowy owl -- European green crab -- Saltwater crocodile -- Zebra mussel -- Red crossbill -- Invasive insects -- New patterns of vagrancy. "Read about unusual animal journeys around the world, from wandering saltwater crocodiles to invasive insect species and outbreaks of Australian plague locust.