Shark Girl

Title: Shark Girl

Author: Kelly Bingham

 Contemporary Realistic Fiction #1

What can I say? I love sharks; so, when I picked up Shark Girl by Kelly Bingham I was very intrigued. When I found out that the book was also written in free verse poetry, I knew that I had to read it. Sharks and poetry? It must have been written for me. I can honestly say that I enjoyed the book. The story is about a young, teenage girl named Jane who innocently goes on a swim with her family during the summer. That is when everything changes and Jane becomes a victim. During the shark attack she loses her arm, and for someone who is an aspiring artist – this is devastating! To make matters worse, her attack was filmed and put on the news for everyone to see. Now she has sympathy cards, letters, and flowers from people she doesn’t even know. Everyone wants to be her friend but still everyone whispers and no one seems to care that she can’t even button her pants with ease anymore.

I found this story to be truly touching and eerily realistic. I felt like I was reading about an actual event, an actual teenage girl that experienced this. Though I couldn’t relate to the attack first-hand (though I can tell you, I don’t plan on getting in the ocean anytime soon!), I did relate to the alienation Jane felt. I believe this is something all teenagers can relate to regardless of their situation which is what makes this book so appealing. It is fun, interesting, and different while being completely relatable at the same time. I would definitely recommend this book for 6^th grade and up. It’s excellent and shows children that telling a story in poetry is just as effective as traditional story writing. 

War Boy

Title: War Boy

Author: Michael Foreman

Biography #3

 War Boy was one of the more unusual books I have read this semester. Told by English artist and children’s book illustrator, Michael Foreman, he recounts his experiences during childhood growing up in a small village in England during the war. Frequently under attack, Michael and his family are literally living on a battlefield! The remainder of the book details his experiences including rationing and raids. I personally learned a great deal from reading this memoir and feel that children can especially relate to this book because it is told through the eyes of a child.  

The text is pretty simple and fairly easy to read and understand but it is the pictures that truly make the story! They are detailed and absolutely beautiful to look at. One can learn a lot just from looking at what the illustrations have to offer. I particularly enjoyed the diagrams because they helped me understand what he was talking about better. I also liked the authentic looking historical documents he drew, there are several letters and notices that help the reader get a better feel of the story and the time. In the end, though I must admit this story wasn’t my favorite, I would still recommend it for students in 3-6 grade and think it has tremendous educational merit. 

Never Smile at a Monkey

Title: Never Smile at a Monkey and 17 Other Important Things to Remember

Author: Steve Jenkins

Monarch Nominee (2012)

Most kids know that they shouldn’t try to pet a tiger or swim with a shark but what they don’t know is how dangerous other, sometimes friendly-looking, creatures can be. And let’s face it – even as adults many of us are in the dark when it comes to safety and wild animals. The point of this story is to inform children about dangerous animals and what they should never do in front of them to avoid getting hurt. Not only is the information useful, but it is fun, engaging, and presented in a way that is easy for any reader to understand. Most importantly, I feel as if the book is appropriate for a wide variety of students and can even teach adults more about a topic they don’t know much about. I myself can say that 90 percent of the information I read was new to me. Not to mention, the illustrations are wonderful and colorful and remind me of the work of Eric Carle.

In the classroom, I would use this book in my science curriculum probably during a unit about animals or predators. I could see it as being a starting point for a more in depth project that the students could complete for the unit. The back of the book provides an excellent appendix that gives a more detailed explanation of the animals presented and the threat they pose to humans. The book even provides a literary extension in that it teaches children alliteration. For example, the author says to never “pet a platypus”, “cuddle a cub”, or “harass a hippopotamus” to name a few.