Annotated Bib: Extra Yarn

I got the pleasure of reading Extra Yarn this semester and instantly fell in love with this magical story. In such a grey town, a young girl named Annabelle finds a box full of colorful yarn.  She turns the town into color again by making everyone colorful sweaters. An evil archduke steals her box but he is left with a box full of emptiness. The box is only for believers and Annabelle gets her box back. She continues to light up the town with making sweaters for trees, animals, and buildings until the town is covered in complete happiness. I really enjoyed this story for several reasons. One of them being Annabelle turned a sad, grey town into a happy, colorful one merely overnight. She was a believer of happiness therefore was given an everlasting amount of colorful yarn. This story introduces good and evil which is important to teach to young children. There were also lively illustrations which enhanced the attention of the students. This story revolves around believing and compassion which are great things to teach to children at a young age.

                                              

Annotated Bib: When You Reach Me

For my Annotated Bibliography I chose to read When You Reach Me. Miranda, a 6^th grader living in New York City thinks she finally has the city figured out. She knows which places to go, and which places to stay away from, alongside is her friend Sal who avoids her after getting punched in the face by a new kid for what Miranda thinks is no apparent reason. Then suddenly the spare hidden key to her apartment is stolen and mysterious letters keep showing up under her front door. With a decision to write back to the letter as asked, she is discovering the person writing the letters knows her whole life. Will Miranda be too late to find out what the letters mean and if they will save her friend? I enjoyed reading When You Reach Me because Miranda’s life rapidly turns adventurous and suspenseful overnight leaving you always wanting to know more and more. I feel many students may be able to relate to Miranda, for instance having her best friend drift from her for reason she has yet to find out. Miranda’s life is in a constant world wind when she desperately tries to figure out who is writing these anonymous notes to her that tell her things about her life that have yet to happen. Miranda gets overwhelmed throughout the story and is forced to search for the deeper meanings behind the crazy events happening. 

                                                   

Annotated Bib: Mockingbird

For my Annotated Bibliography I read Mockingbird, this book is dedicated to the shootings at Virginia Tech in 2007. Caitlin is a young 5^th grade girl who suffers from Asperger’s Syndrome which allows her to see things solely as black and white. After the death of her older brother she is now alone with no one to understand her. A school counselor steps in and helps Caitlin to see the world in a new light. I enjoyed reading this book for several reasons, mainly because as a future educator it is crucial for you to understand where students are coming from. Mockingbird was an exceptional read for really understanding Caitlin’s point of view on the world. I liked how the book was told in first person; it gave the reader insight on every thought, decision, and reaction in her life. I learned a lot about how to talk and respond to children with Asperger’s syndrome and this book really helped me understand how she views the world. This book at times was upsetting to read because you often felt frustrated for her. The people around her don’t understand her in the beginning of the book and her guidance counselor is the only one that can clarify her thoughts to others.