February 2019 - Margin Notes

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CRAFT STUDIO: SAVING RED BY SONYA SONES

What I Was Reading:

Saving Red by Sonya Sones is the story of what happens when Molly meets Red, a homeless girl only a few years older than she is, and becomes fixated on reuniting Red with her family. What quickly becomes apparent to the reader are two things: Red is suffering with some serious mental health issues and Molly’s family has experienced some type of trauma. This is a beautiful story, written in verse, that reveals how sometimes when we try to save someone else, we end up saving ourselves.

Saving Red Craft Studio

What Moves I Notice the Writer Making:

• Using a title to provide brief context to a conversation
• A conversation written in verse
• Spacing that provides time for the reader to consider the message of the conversation
• The use of italics for emphasis
• Intentional use of repetition to begin sentences
• Smooth pacing of writing that leads up to what makes this conversation necessary to write about

Possibilities for Writers:

• Think of a conversation you have had and try writing it out in verse, using only the essential parts of the conversation.
• Play around with italics to see how emphasizing different words in your writing impacts the way it is read.
• Play around with the organization of your stanzas to see how the line breaks speed up or slow down the conversation.
• Write a title that sets the stage for the conversation.

GUEST WRITER JOANNE MCDONALD RECOMMENDS MONDAY’S NOT COMING BY TIFFANY D. JACKSON

Feb

Monday’s Not Coming is one of the most engaging YA mystery books I have read to date. I literally could not put this book down, despite promising myself that I would turn out the lights in “one more chapter”!

The novel opens with Claudia, an eighth-grade student who returns home to Washington after having spent the summer at her grandmother’s in Georgia. Upon seeing her mother, she immediately inquires about her best friend, Monday Charles, who has not returned any of Claudia’s posted letters. Claudia knows that something is terribly wrong and sets out to find her beloved friend despite all the mixed messages she receives. Her mother appears unalarmed and aloof. Her father chalks it up to friends growing apart. Mrs. Charles nearly assaults Claudia and threatens her to never come knocking again. Monday’s sister April says that Monday is at her father’s…no, her aunt’s…no, her father’s. The school seems to think that Monday is being home-schooled. Only Ms. Valente, the girls’ former grade seven English teacher, seems disturbed that no one has seen nor heard anything about Monday. As the story progresses, the author flips between chapters titled with the months of the year, “The Before,” “The After,” and “One Year Before the Before,” and the reader is privy to the intimate nature of Claudia and Monday’s relationship, Claudia’s panic and search for her other half, and the devastation of a mental breakdown.

While the novel initially paints a picture of true friendship and acceptance, it is later revealed that perhaps the girls’ relationship has a few skeletons in its closet—at least for Monday. The reader sees glimpses of the abuse Monday endures, the squalor in which she lives in the housing projects of Edward Borough, as well as some half-truths told to Claudia. On the other hand, in Monday’s absence, Claudia finds herself bitterly managing a newly diagnosed learning disability and navigating the harsh environment of middle school without her closest and only ally.

And, all the while, the question remains: “Where is Monday Charles?”

This novel will interest any student who loves a good mystery and who is interested in delving into social issues such as poverty, abuse, and community responsibility; as well as exploring mental health issues and those who are marginalized.

Joanne McDonald teaches grade 9 English and Canadian Geography 120 at Oromocto High School. Over the past couple of years, she has become passionate about getting great books into the hands of her students and has reconnected with her old creative writing self.

READ-ALIKE BOOK TALK: ONE OF US IS LYING BY KAREN MCMANUS

Feb

As teachers of reading, we know the importance and the power of book talks to increase the volume of our students’ reading. One type of book talk you may want to try is the Read-Alike Book Talk, where you take a book that has been flying off the shelf of your classroom library and share titles that have similar themes or characters or are of a similar genre.

Here are some read-alikes for One of Us is Lying by Karen McManus: one-of-us-is-lying

Like One of Us is Lying, these books make the reader ask, “What really happened?”

The Cheerleaders by Kara Thomas: Five years ago, five cheerleaders in a small town died in three separate incidents. One of those cheerleaders was Monica’s sister, and now she knows that what happened isn’t the tragic coincidence most people want to believe.

Sadie by Courtney Summers : Fleeing from home after her sister’s brutal murder, Sadie is a missing teenage girl on the run, possibly looking for the person she believes to have murdered her sister. When her story is picked up by a well-known radio personality, she becomes the subject of a popular podcast. But, can he find Sadie before it’s too late?

People Kill People by Ellen Hopkins: One gun. Six teenagers. Someone will shoot. And someone will die. Written in a combination of prose and verse, this book will keep you guessing until the very end.

Two Can Keep a Secret by Karen McManus: Ellery and her twin brother Ezra find themselves living in a small town made famous by the deaths of teenage girls, one of whom was their aunt. These crimes have never been solved. But now, Ellery is determined to uncover all of the answers—putting her own life in danger in the process…because someone wants to keep the town’s secrets hidden.

Book Recommendations, Try This Tomorrow Read-Alike 0 Comment

GUEST WRITER ANGELA LARDNER RECOMMENDS DEAR EVAN HANSEN BY VAL EMMICH

Feb

“Dear Evan Hansen, dearevanhansen-thenovel
Today is going to be an amazing day, and here’s why…”

Well, not all of Evan Hansen’s days are amazing.

Evan has a letter mix-up with Connor Murphy, a troubled teen whom Evan barely knows. Evan wrote the letter to himself as part of his therapy; however, Connor picked it up off the printer and kept it. When tragedy strikes, Connor’s family finds the letter, thinking Connor wrote it to Evan.

Evan, not being able to tell the truth to the grieving family, plays along with the idea that he and Connor were best friends. Evan creates an imaginary world of memories and experiences of the “friendship”, all in the good-spirit of trying to bring peace and comfort to Connor’s family.

Soon, Evan’s lies start to get out of control. They start consuming his life, his friend’s life (as he assists Evan with the charade) and his relationships, especially the relationship he is developing with the girl of his dreams…Connor’s sister, Zoe!

When the “charade” becomes too much, Evan needs to come clean with what he has done. He needs to be honest with himself, the world and Connor’s family. How will he do this? What will be the consequences?

Today is going to be an amazing day…until it is not.

This book is about finding one’s voice and doing what is right, no matter the consequences. Life is not always easy, but by following our hearts and doing the right thing, it does get better.

Angela Lardner is a teacher at Stanley Consolidated School. She teaches mostly high school English. When not at work, she spends her time with her fur babies and reading.

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CRAFT STUDIO: GMORNING, GNIGHT! BY LIN-MANUEL MIRANDA

Feb

What I Was Reading:

Gmorning, Gnight!: Little Pep Talks For Me & You is a collection of inspirational and encouraging words for the beginning and end of each day. Lin-Manuel Miranda, creator of the musical Hamilton, compiled the best of his daily messages from his Twitter account for this book. Accompanied by artwork by Jonny Sun, these greetings challenge, inspire, and empower readers with their brief and honest bits of wisdom.

Here are three excerpts from the book:

GMorning GNight Excerpt 1 GMorning GNight Excerpt 2 GMorning GNight Excerpt 3

What Moves I Notice the Writer Making:

* Each set of greetings begins with a variation of “Good Morning” and “Good Night”

* Each greeting directly addresses the reader.

* The advice uses verbs, insinuating that the advice is actionable and attainable.

* Each greeting is three to four sentences in length.

* The varying sentence lengths and use of punctuation for pause and intonation allow the voice of the writer to sound more relaxed and inviting.

* The illustrations are simple, black and white, and allow the reader to connect them to the greetings with their own interpretation.

Possibilities for Writers:

* Using Miranda’s greetings as a model, write your own Gmorning, Gnight! messages. They could be based on what you need to hear or what you want to tell someone else.

* Illustrate your greetings yourself based on what you think best represents your words.

* After writing your messages, ask a friend or a classmate to create an illustration that they connect to the greetings.

* Write about how one of the above excerpts spoke to you and may have been what you needed to hear.

* Revisit a draft in your notebook and find a place that can be rewritten to address the readers directly. Consider varying your sentence lengths, using one-word sentences, and playing around with punctuation to create a voice that is relaxed and conversational.

Craft Studio GMorning 1 Comment

Try This Tomorrow: 19 Behind-the-Scenes Secrets of Ikea Employees

Feb

Mental Floss recently published, “19 Behind-the-Scenes Secrets of Ikea Employees” an article filled with neat insider information about “what it’s like to work for one of the world’s most recognizable retail stores.” At first, I paid attention to the organizing structure, thinking it would make an interesting mentor text for using titles to identify separate subtopics or ideas and make information writing flow. Then, I realized that the whole concept makes this article a powerful invitation for students to write about the behind-the-scenes secrets of something or someplace they have expert knowledge about. Think of how much you would learn about your students (and they could learn about each other) from these behind-the-scenes secrets!

Literacy Reflections 1 Comment

A Heart in a Body in the World by Deb Caletti

Feb

When we meet Annabelle Agnelli at the beginning of A Heart in a Body in the World, she is running. She was accosted by a drunk at a local take-out and she took off. This isn’t something she planned—she started to run and didn’t stop.

“Where is she going? No idea.Why is she going? Well, sometimes you just snap. Snapping is easy when you’re already brittle from the worst possible thing happening. It is easy when you’re broken and guilty and scared. You snap just like that. Like the snap has been waiting around for the right moment.”

Annabelle runs until dark and then calls to tell her grandfather to say she isn’t going to stop. She’s going to run from their home in Seattle to Washington, DC. 2719 miles. A half-marathon every day.

Anyone who has run long distances alone knows that it’s just you and your thoughts. Annabelle has experienced a traumatic event, and as she runs she battles anger, fear, and flashbacks to what happened with someone she refers to only as the Taker. At first, Annabelle is quietly running for herself with the support of her road crew—Grandpa Ed driving the RV, and her logistics team—her younger brother and two friends. Soon, however, there is a Go Fund Me, a YouTube video, t-shirts, and interviews. Annabelle’s run attracts media attention and she is met by supporters who consider her an activist.

As Annabelle crosses the country, we accompany her on a journey that is both physically and emotionally unrelenting. She is haunted by guilt and anxiety, wondering if she is to blame for what happened. As she works through these emotions we learn, bit by bit, the details of the tragedy. She overcomes the grueling physical challenge of running 13 miles every day in the heat of summer and she finds the strength to see what the Taker did with new clarity.

This is a gripping story told through a unique narrative. I look forward to recommending it to high school teachers and students.

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WINNER!

Feb

Congratulations to Melissa Canam for winning #ASDWReads for the month of January! Thank you for sharing your reading moments, and we hope you enjoy your new book.

If you would like to enter the next draw, just snap a photo of a book you read in February and post it on Twitter under #ASDWReads. We look forward to seeing what books are keeping you company while you stay warm this month!

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Guest Writer Malcolm Mulligan Recommends Scythe by Neal Shusterman

Feb

The first in the Arc of a Scythe series, Scythe is set on a future earth where science has eliminated death and hunger and the world is governed by a computer called the Thunderhead. People are free to lead their lives in whatever way they choose. Most citizens marry multiple times and have several families because they can make themselves younger whenever they choose, most often before they turn “too gray”. One of the consequences of this ability is an awkward family reunion since children can end up being older than their parents!

Since natural death has been eliminated, the Thunderhead has decreed that scythes are necessary to keep the population down to a level that can be maintained. Scythes have complete control over who, when and where they will “glean” their selected citizens. When a scythe announces to a citizen that they have been selected for gleaning, they willingly allow the scythe to end their life because if they resist, their entire family will be gleaned. Imagine!

The story focuses on two high school students who have been randomly selected by a scythe to be his apprentices. Once selected, they must leave their homes and families to go live in a home with another apprentice to learn “the art of killing” and become a scythe: a government agent that has but one role – to assassinate citizens.

Weaved within the narrative are several topics of interest for students to consider:

* Having no choice in your future career and being forced to learn something you have no interest in, or worse, something abhorrent to your values

* State-sanctioned murder as a way to control population growth

* The meaning of life

* The implications of everlasting life on earth

* The effects of having a constant companion

This series will appeal to readers who enjoy fantasy and dystopian genres. The second book in the series, Thunderhead, is just as engaging, and I can hardly wait for the third book, Toll, to be released. In the meantime, I am flying through Shusterman’s first series Unwind.

Malcolm Mulligan has been teaching at Leo Hayes for the past eleven years. He enjoys scuba diving, photography, playing guitar, and travelling. His reading life includes an addiction to Science-Fiction and his new love for Young Adult Fiction.

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