Feathers by Jacqueline Woodson

Genre - Fiction

Rating - 4/5

Age group recommendation - Grades 5-8

The Scoop - Frannie's sixth grade year presents many challenges for her...her best friend's religious views; how to treat the new boy who looks white but says he's not; her brother's deafness and how it affects his, and her, world; her mother's health and the prospect of a new baby.

The Story - This is a great book for middle school students, probably more for girls than boys since it is told from Frannie's point of view. The book deals with many issues like the mother's miscarriages, inter-racial adoption and missing father figures in ways that are easy for this age group to understand and identify with.  I am not sure how engaging this book would be for students.  I felt that there was so much going on in the story that it was hard to really get into the story and be really engaged.  I don't think this book measures up to many of Woodson's other books. 

Educational applications

Georgia Performance Standards 

ELA5W2 The student demonstrates competence in a variety of genres.

After reading the book, students choose a topic from the book to write about: integration, racially mixed families, the hearing impaired, religion.  Students may choose to write either a personal response to the book or a persuasive essay about one of the topics.  Students should draw from their owns experiences, thoughts and reactions to complete the essay. 


Feathers by Jacqueline Woodson
New York : G.P. Putnam's Sons, c2007

Copy from Atlanta Fulton County Library

Flight by Sherman Alexie

Genre - Fiction

Rating - 5/5

Age group recommendation - Grades 9-12

The Scoop - "Zits" has been in and out of foster homes and in and out of trouble, but when he experiences life from different points in history, he learns about what is really important.

The Story - Once again Sherman Alexie takes a completely heartbreaking story and turns it into a funny, irreverent, honest exploration of abandonment, violence, self-awareness and historic injustices.   This is a book to read in one sitting, but the amount of issues explored make it a novel that could be discussed at great length.  Students will appreciate Zits' honesty and struggle through adolescence.  Without preaching, Alexie presents a good lesson on what can happen to unchecked self-loathing, anger and the consequences of giving up hope.

Educational applications

Georgia Performance Standards 

SSUSH12 The student will analyze important consequences of American industrial growth.
ELA9RL1 The student demonstrates comprehension by identifying evidence (i.e., examples of diction, imagery, point of view, figurative language, symbolism, plot events and main ideas) in a variety of texts representative of different genres (i.e., poetry, prose [short story, novel, essay, editorial, biography], and drama) and using this evidence as the basis for interpretation.
ELA9RL3 The student deepens understanding of literary works by relating them to contemporary context or historical background.
ELA9RC4 The student establishes a context for information acquired by reading across subject areas.
ELA9W1 The student produces writing that establishes an appropriate organizational structure, sets a context and engages the reader, maintains a coherent focus throughout, and signals closure.

Students will choose one of the time periods Zits travels to and write a letter from the person Zits visits to Zits.  Students will explore what Alexie intends to convey to the reader by sending Zits to each of these historical times. 

Flight by Sherman Alexie  
New York : Black Cat : Distributed by Publishers Group West, c2007
Copy from Atlanta Fulton County Library

The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-time Indian by Sherman Alexie

Genre - Fiction

Rating - 5/5

Age group recommendation - Grades 8-12

The Scoop - When cartoonist Junior deserts his friends on the rez and attends the all-white school across town, he knows his life will never be the same.

The Story - Sherman Alexie  is one of the most talented writers currently producing work.  Although his work deals primarily with Native American experiences, there are universal themes that many readers can identify with.  Many students know what it feels like to be the outsider or the one who was never very good at sports or the one whose parents were unreliable.  Alexie's humor and insight into human behavior create a world where everyone is welcome...even when he talks about the disdain or hate for white people on the rez.

Educational applications

Georgia Performance Standards

SSUSH6 The student will analyze the impact of territorial expansion and population growth and the impact of this growth in the early decades of the new nation.

ELAMLRL3 The student deepens understanding of a work of multicultural literature by relating it to its historical and/or contemporary context, as well as to works from other cultures.
ELA9RL3 The student deepens understanding of literary works by relating them to contemporary context or historical background.
ELA9W1 The student produces writing that establishes an appropriate organizational structure, sets a context and engages the reader, maintains a coherent focus throughout, and signals closure.

ELA9W3 The student uses research and technology to support writing.

Students will research the formation of the Bureau of Indian Affiars and describe the structure of Native American government. Students will then relate their research to the novel and explain how it affects the story.  

The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-time Indian by Sherman Alexie New York : Little, Brown, 2007
Copy from Atlanta Fulton County Library