YA Fridays: Fairy Tales for Teens, Part 2 (From Carolyn)

In Part 1 last week I gave you some of my favorite fairy-tale based books, and here are some more: 

Set in a futuristic world with cyborgs and a colonized moon, the Lunar Chronicles tell the story of three young women caught up in the brewing conflict between Earthens and Lunars who then band together to prevent a wicked queen from ruling the world. Cinder, Scarlet, and Cress tell the stories of a cyborg-mechanic Cinderella, Little Red Riding Hood, and a hacker Rapunzel who lives in a satellite. The fact that the Lunar Chronicles merge genres (is it sci-fi? Is it dystopian? Is it fantasy?) is one of the many reasons I love them.

The Goose Girl is a lyric retelling of the classic tale, involving animal and elemental magic. I also loved how the main character, Ani, fights for the rights of the Forest People. The three other books in the series, (Enna Burning, River Secrets, and Forest Born), while not based off a particular fairy tale but set in the same land (and with the same magic!) as The Goose Girl, are just as brilliantly written and devour-able as the first.  

Based off of the little-known Brothers Grimm fairy tale 'Maid Maleen', Book of a Thousand Days is a poetic and fascinating read. I enjoyed the more unusual setting for a fairy tale (the Asian Steppes), the compelling story, and the interesting characters. 

A Curse as Dark as Gold reimagines the Rumpelstiltskin story set in the Industrial Revolution. Instead of a prince's hand being at stake, the main character, Charlotte, must fight to keep her family's woolen mill afloat in the midst of rapid industrialization; when she takes up a offer from a mysterious stranger to help ease her family's financial troubles, she has no clue what trouble and dark magic she's become involved in. I loved the historically accurate setting (especially all the historical details) and the intriguing plot.

Set in Transylvania, Wildwood Dancing tells a reimagined tale of The Twelve Dancing Princesses as five daughters of a merchant who slip away to the Other Kingdom every full moon. A whirlwind of events turns the girls' lives upside down, though: their father becomes deathly ill and his business (and estate) are transferred to their cruel cousin; the eldest sister falls in love with one of the Night People and becomes determined to live in the Other Kingdom forever; the second sister, Jena, must break a curse to find her true love; and the girl's nights in the Other Kingdom are drawing to a close. The vivid magical world of the Other Kingdom and the interwoven struggles of the different sisters make Wildwood Dancing a fascinating and wonderful read.

Fairy tale-based books are some of my favorite stories. What are some of your favorite fairy tale based books? 

Book Review - Perfect Pairs: Using Fiction and Nonfiction Picture Books to Teach Life Science, K-2

Perfect Pairs: Using Fiction & Nonfiction Picture Books to Teach Life Science, K-2
by Melissa Stewart & Nancy Chesley
Stenhouse Publishers (August 2014)
Barnes & Noble | WorldCat |

Behind the Books: Perfect Pairs | Reproducibles for Perfect Pairs

Description from the publisher:
Hands-on lessons can be fun and compelling, but when it comes to life science, they aren't always possible, practical, effective, or safe. Children can't follow a lion as it stalks a gazelle, visit the exotic kapok tree in a rain forest, or swim alongside the underwater life in a pond. But they can explore a whole world of animals, plants, and ecosystems through the pages of beautifully illustrated, science-themed picture books.

Perfect Pairs, which marries fiction and nonfiction picture books focused on life science, helps educators think about and teach life science in a whole new way. Each of the twenty-two lessons in this book is built around a pair of books that introduces a critical life science concept and guides students through an inquiry-based investigative process to explore that idea—from animal/environment interactions to the role of structure in plant and animal survival, from inheritance of traits to variation of species.

Each lesson starts with a "Wonder Statement" and comprises three stages. "Engaging Students" features a hands-on activity that captures student interest, uncovers current thinking, and generates vocabulary. The heart of the investigative process, "Exploring with Students," spotlights the paired books as the teacher reads aloud and helps students find and organize information into data tables. "Encouraging Students to Draw Conclusions" shows students how to review and analyze the information they have collected. Bringing high-quality science-themed picture books into the classroom engages a broad range of students, addresses the Performance Expectations outlined in the Next Generation Science Standards, and supports the goals of the Common Core State Standards for English Language Arts.

Even if you are science shy, Perfect Pairs can help you become a more confident teacher whose classroom buzzes with curious students eager to explore their natural world.

My thoughts on this book:
In 1991, I had my first classroom. In those day, curriculum was truly developed by teachers. It was my belief that all things could be taught with the use of literature. For young children, this means through many different picture books. I would create units and hunt down the books that I wanted to use to support a theme or emphasize a concept. In those days, I really never thought about fiction vs. nonfiction. As I think back to those early years of teaching, I certainly had a mix of fiction and nonfiction that I used. 

In the past few years, as I think about the many English Language Learners that I work with, I have been pondering how to return to some of what I did in those early years of teaching but to do it with even more intent and purpose. How can I use the wonderful books available in ways that will facilitate instruction in science, while also building stronger skills in reading, writing, listening, and speaking? 

When I opened up Perfect Pairs by Melissa Stewart and Nancy Chesley, I fondly thought about the books I have used in lessons. The books that I used as read alouds and the ones that I used as the foundation for a lesson and those that I used to supplement and support the main text.  Books like Swimmy by Leo Lionni, The Salamander's Room by Anne Mazer, or Jack's Garden by Henry Cole.  I also thought about newer books like A Seed is Sleepy by Diana Hutts Aston, or Miss Maple's Seeds by Eliza Wheeler.

However, what I loved about this book is despite how comprehensive it is there is an ease in which it is laid out and how it is structured. Whether someone is a new or an experienced teacher, the ideas and suggestions are easy to follow and can be implemented in the classroom. For teachers, who may be a bit nervous about teaching science or for those, who are feeling overwhelmed when they hear NGSS (Next Generation Science Standards), Perfect Pairs helps by making it all a little more understandable.

Recently, I took Perfect Pairs into a meeting I was having with a school librarian.  She is one of the few librarians I know who also has an advanced degree in science. As she flipped through the book, her comment was "every K-2 teacher needs a copy of this". Yes, my sentiments exactly. 

Unlike most book reviews, this one will be more on-going. I am planning on partnering up with the school librarian I mentioned and implement some of these lessons with her and her teachers and then report back. At the same time, I would love to hear from teachers who have decided to pick up Perfect Pairs and how they have used it with students. Let's keep this conversation going and see where it leads us.

About the Authors:

Melissa Stewart is the award-winning author of more than 150 science books for children. She has always been fascinated by the natural world and is passionate about sharing its beauty and wonder with readers of all ages. 

Nancy Chesley was an elementary teacher for 26 years and a K-5 science and literacy specialist for six years. She won the Presidential Award for Excellence in Elementary Science Teaching in 2000 and the Milken Foundation National Distinguished Educator Award in 2002. 

Nonfiction Picture Book Wednesday - Be A Changemaker Blog Tour

I am excited to welcome Laurie Ann Thompson to Kid Lit Frenzy. Thought BE A CHANGEMAKER is not a nonfiction picture book, it is a nonfiction book for tweens and teens.  Enjoy reading Laurie's interview and also don't forget to enter the giveaway. 

What made you decide to write BE A CHANGEMAKER?

I always wanted to do something that made a positive difference in the world, but never felt empowered to do so. I thought you needed to be one of those “other” people, with the looks, the connections, the degrees, what have you. I didn’t realize until I was in my thirties that it just takes knowledge, passion, and skills… and that anyone can do it. I didn’t want anyone else to have to wait that long!

When you were a teen did you have a cause that you volunteered for or helped make a difference by participating in a group or organization? Do you have one now and have you been a mentor to any teens through this work?

As a teen, I often saved my money and donated it to various animal welfare organizations. I was also a volunteer Girl Scout leader for a Brownie troop. I’ve always had a soft spot for animals and kids!

As an adult, I still support animal and child welfare organizations, among many others, philanthropically. I occasionally donate my time to our local humane society, our school library, Eastside Baby Corner, and to the Youth Venture/Ashoka organization in Seattle, which also helped to both inspire and inform Be a Changemaker. I also participate in many other volunteer opportunities whenever they arise. I hope to continue to mentor teens through my connections with Ashoka’s Youth Venture, and I’m in the process of developing a program with the Girl Scouts of Western Washington’s awards program. I’d love to hear from other youth programs about how I can help add to their programming, as well!

BE A CHANGEMAKER is a great guide for motivated teens in thinking about and putting into action a plan to make a difference. However, I know some teens need more support or direction in order to get started and stick with it in order to be successful. What tips do you have for a teacher or an adult mentor to help build steps towards greater success for these students?

First and foremost, give them as much choice as possible! Guide teens towards identifying a problem that they will truly care about solving, such as one that affects them or someone they love directly. Then help them come up with a way to tackle that problem using their own existing passions (things they love to do) and skills (things they’re already good at). The foundation is strongest when you have all three (problem, passion, skill) coming from the teens themselves right from the beginning. This can take some time for introspection and self-reflection, but it will pay off in enthusiasm. Once you have those three key pieces in place, show them that you honestly believe they can make a difference. When they believe they can fix something they care about by doing something they love using skills they’re already good at, it will be hard for them to not want to jump in and get started.

If you could meet any person who has made a significant change in the world, who would it be and what are some things that you would like to learn from him or her?

Oh, that’s such a tough one: there are so many! Since we’re talking about the book, though, I’ll say Bill Drayton, the founder of Ashoka and Youth Venture and author of the foreword for Be a Changemaker. I think he’s really an unsung hero who is changing our world in dramatic ways every day. Through his vision of an “everyone a changemaker” world, his organizations are empowering everyone from preschool on up to embark on a lifetime of doing good, innovative, world-changing endeavors. His efforts are creating countless ripples of change worldwide, and those will continue to spread indefinitely. I’d love to learn what he feels is most needed to continue his mission and the ways we can help achieve it.

After BE A CHANGEMAKER comes out, what upcoming book projects do you have that you can tell us about?

I have a picture book biography called Emmanuel’s Dream coming out in January about Emmanuel Ofosu Yeboah, who changed Ghana's perception of people with disabilities. In June my first fiction picture book comes out: My Dog Is the Best is about the unconditional love that exists between a child and a family pet. And, I’m currently working on two ideas that have resulted from Be a Changemaker. Stay tuned!

About the author:
Laurie Ann Thompson comes from a family of entrepreneurs and small business owners. She has worked at IBM, Intel, and Microsoft, and she co-founded a successful internet startup. In addition, she has led a regional nonprofit professional organization and volunteered with Ashoka’s Youth Venture, which supports teens with big ideas. This is her first book. She lives with her family in the Pacific Northwest. Visit her at LaurieThompson.com.

Check out the other stops in the blog tour:

Mon, Sept 8

Sally's Bookshelf  http://sallysbookshelf.blogspot.com/

Tues, Sept 9

Girl Scout Leader 101  http://girlscoutleader101.blogspot.com/

Wed, Sept 10

Unleashing Readers   http://www.unleashingreaders.com/

Thurs, Sept 11

Teen Librarian Toolbox   http://www.teenlibrariantoolbox.com/

Fri, Sept 12

The Nonfiction Detectives AND Kirby's Lane  http://www.nonfictiondetectives.com/ AND http://kirbyslane.blogspot.com/

Sat, Sept 13

The Styling Librarian   http://thestylinglibrarian.com/

Mon, Sept 15

NC Teacher Stuff  http://ncteacherstuff.blogspot.com/

Tues, Sept 16

The Hiding Spot   http://thehidingspot.blogspot.com

Wed, Sept 17

Kid Lit Frenzy  http://www.kidlitfrenzy.com/

Thurs, Sept 18

GreenBeanTeenQueen  http://www.greenbeanteenqueen.com/ 

Fri, Sept 19

A Foodie Bibliophile in Wanderlust  http://www.foodiebibliophile.com/

Sat. Sept 20

Elizabeth O. Dulemba   http://dulemba.blogspot.com/ 

Teen Librarian's Toolbox is creating a free downloadable workshop guide for libraries and classrooms for the book that will be available on Laurie Thompson's website in late October.

Giveaway
Enter the rafflecopter for a chance to win a copy of BE A CHANGEMAKER by Laurie Ann Thompson.  Winner must be 13 years old or older and have a US mailing address.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Don't forget to link up your nonfiction reviews:

The Maze Runner

Recently, I was invited to join a group of bloggers to attend a screening of The Maze Runner Movie and a Q&A with the cast. Sadly for me, it was held on the Friday of my first week back at school. Instead I offered my spot to my friend, David.  The following is David's thoughts on his time with at the Q&A.

From David:

A few Fridays ago I had the pleasure of taking some time off of work and driving out to the Fox Studios where I had the opportunity to see the upcoming film of The Maze Runner and participate in a Q&A with the young stars of the cast.

Photo of Cast during Q&A - courtesy of Katie Ferguson @pocketofgreen on twitter

The Maze Runner is a book written by James Dashner.  It’s the first in a dystopian trilogy of books that was recommended to me by a friend who had been recommended by another friend so we’ve been buzzing for a while.  When we found out that it was going to be a movie, we were pretty excited.  And not just because we’re big fans of Dylan O’Brien, the actor who plays the main character, Thomas.

If you don’t mind the premise, it’s kind of important because when I talk about a pig, you’ll have no idea what pig I’m talking about.  In the beginning there is Thomas and he is rapidly ascending a metal frame elevator.

This cage-like elevator also contains a squealing pig and other supplies which are delivered to a camp of boys who live in the Glade, surrounded by a mysterious concrete Maze.  Some of the boys run through the Maze trying to find their way out and nobody can remember anything other than their name and that this is not normal.

Watched the movie.  Ate a bagel.  And then there was the Question and Answer session with Ki Hong Lee, Kaya Scodelario, Thomas Brodie-Sangster, Will Poulter, and Dylan O’Brien.  The conversation was fun and quite a few thoughtful responses about the craft of acting were tendered. 

The cast was asked if the world runs better with or without adults.  In the Glade, the characters have had to form a self-governing community without adults.  The actual age of the guys in the cast ranged from Blake Cooper who plays 12 as Chuck to Aml Ameen who plays Alby at 28.  Amongst this group they naturally formed a kind of family.

Kaya Scodelario plays Teresa, the only female in the Glade.  She was asked what it was like to be on set with just a bunch of dudes.  Her response was that she never felt like the only girl.  They didn’t behave differently around her, they were dirty and rude – but still polite.  And there were girlfriends and sisters who came to the set.  But she was told by Aml that she was quite laddish anyway. 

Photo Courtesy of @pocketofgreen

It was pointed out that in The Maze Runner, unlike so many other stories about young people in end-of-the-world scenarios, there is no romance.  Quite often you’ll find in books (and their corresponding movies) that a girl will be forced to make a choice between two boys in the most catastrophic of situations.  Ki Hong Lee pointed out that there’s a lot of bromance.  His character Minho and Thomas definitely have a bromance, running around the maze, saving each other’s lives, having a grand time.

Dylan thought it was entirely appropriate. Kids would not be flirting in the situation. Or smooching. And Kaya thought it was honest, to have the freedom to play a side other than perhaps the girl who appears to conveniently be a romantic love interest for the male protagonist. Teresa, like everyone else, is trying to survive. Will Poulter who plays Gally pointed out that not every teenager is in and out of love all the time. He never fell in love as a teenager.  It’s not something that doesn’t have to be in every teen film.

Photo Courtesy of @pocketofgreen

In the film Gally is the closest thing Thomas has to an antagonist, ignoring of course the things in the maze that tries to kill him. Will Poulter isn’t known for playing villains or the bully. He might be best recognized as Eustace Scrubb in the Voyage of the Dawn Treader where he complains a lot and is generally selfish. He described his roles and being a dork, and a member of the audience described him as an underdog, which makes his casting unexpected as it plays against type.

But that’s basically something all of the cast had to play.  None of the characters in The Maze Runner come with a backstory.  They all have to encounter the Glade without memories or knowledge about what is going on or what will happen.  Gally’s motivations can be expressed as a need to control a situation where he very much is not in control.  His need to enforce rule and order contrasts with the impulsive Thomas, whose first instinct it seems is to run into trouble, especially if told otherwise.

There was a lot of running to be done and Dylan and Ki had to run for several hours a day.  Dylan is more of a sprinter and so when you see their performance on screen, they’re not just acting exhausted, they’re appropriately tired.  On set they would run in an abandoned parking lot that was sprayed down to make it look muddy and of course that had the side effect of making the surface slippery and difficult to run on.  There were several falls, especially if they had to sprint around a turn.

There were other hazards in the shoot as well.  Dylan was doing wire work, where he was climbing up the walls of the maze and they kept him up in the air the entire day.  The crew didn’t want to lower him because it would take too much time.  They shook the wall for an effect and some debris fell into Dylan’s eye.  The director instead of having a medic come and interrupt the shoot, took it out himself.

Which would totally freak me out.

Dylan also wasn’t comfortable with with people touching their eyeball but now he is.  Which leads me to believe that if I had something removed from my eye while I was suspended in the air, I too could possibly get used to things like contact lens application.

The cast has been pleasantly surprised by the fans of the film. Right at the start of production they were surprised that they had fans before the movie had even started shooting. They had two people show up the first night they were put up in a hotel and they took a picture with the cast who had not been expecting  A fanbase that is very vocal on twitter and has websites and podcasts eagerly anticipating the movie release.

The Maze Runner movie comes out this Friday, September 19th.  I recommend it and hope that you will go see it and enjoy it.

Synopsis: When Thomas (Dylan O'Brien) wakes up trapped in a massive maze with a group of other boys, he has no memory of the outside world other than strange dreams about a mysterious organization known as W.C.K.D. Only by piecing together fragments of his past with clues he discovers in the maze can Thomas hope to uncover his true purpose and a way to escape. Based upon the best-selling novel by James Dashner.

Rated: PG-13
Starring: Dylan O’Brien, Kaya Scodelario, Will Poulter, Thomas Brodie-Sangster, Aml Ameen, Ki Hong Lee
Directed By: Wes Ball
Produced By: Ellen Goldsmith-Vein, Wyck Godfrey, Marty Bowen

Thanks to Katie @pocketofgreen on twitter for sharing her pictures. 

YA Friday: Fairy Tales for Teens Part I from Carolyn

Fantasy is one of my favorite genres, and in the past couple of years there has been a rise in fairy tale based YA fantasy, much to my delight. This is the first in a set of two posts on fairy tales for teens. Here are some of my favorites, in no particular order: 

Ella Enchanted was one of the first books based upon fairy tales that I ever read, so it holds a special place in my book-loving heart. I love the feisty main character and the brilliant retelling of the classic Cinderella story.

While Fairest is less known than Ella Enchanted, it is no less brilliant or enjoyable. The well-told book puts an interesting twist on the Snow White tale by giving the heroine a less-than-beautiful appearance. The main character's struggles with accepting her own ugliness and learning to value her beautiful singing voice above what others see adds a nice thematic value to an already wonderful book. 

The (realistically) boorish and boring prince in Just Ella, along with the lack of magic, makes for an unidealized telling of Cinderella that questions just how well love at first sight can truly work out. I liked how the book provided an interesting perspective on how the relationships in fairy tales are so romanticized and utterly unrealistic (even without any magic).

The Scandinavian folktale East of the Sun and West of the Moon (think a combination of 'Cupid and Psyche' and 'Beauty and the Beast', with lots of ice and trolls) provides an intriguing base for a wonderful and lyrical tale of an adventurous young woman and a polar bear. The loose historical connections and rich language make East a worthwhile read.

Also based upon East of the Sun and West of the Moon, Sun and Moon, Ice and Snow tells the story of a nameless young woman who risks everything to save her family and then must risk everything (again!) to save her true love. I enjoyed the interesting family dynamics, Norwegian setting, and beautiful storytelling in this book. 

Princess of the Midnight Ball puts an intriguing twist upon the story of the Twelve Dancing Princesses: rather than dancing for enjoyment, the princesses are forced to dance every night for an evil sorcerer. I loved the lush, fantastical setting and interesting characters. The two sequels, Princess of Glass, and Princess of the Silver Wood, are retellings of Cinderella and Little Red Riding Hood, respectively, and are just as well-written and brilliant as the first. 

These are just a handful of my favorite fairy tale inspired books. Next week, in Part 2, I'll share some more.  

What are some of your favorite fairy tale based books?