2022 The Last Cuentista - Language Arts

1. 2022 The Last Cuentista by Donna Barba Higuera Caldecott Medal Winners, 1990 to present(also winner of the Pura Belpre Award) a. The book begins with the protagonist Petra Pena listening to stories told by her grandmother Lita; Petra wants to be a storytelle...

1. 2022 The Last Cuentista by Donna Barba Higuera Caldecott Medal Winners, 1990 to present(also winner of the Pura Belpre Award) a. The book begins with the protagonist Petra Pena listening to stories told by her grandmother Lita; Petra wants to be a storyteller like her grandmother, but her parents (both scientists) want Petra to pursue a career in science. Halley’s Comet has been deflected from its path by a solar flare and is about to destroy all life on Earth. Three ships are leaving Earth to go to a planet named Sagan that will take 380 years to get there. Petra’s parents, her little brother (Javier), and she are selected to go on one of the ships. Passengers on the ship will be put into a deep sleep while certain individuals chosen as Monitors watch over them. While the children sleep, information will be downloaded into their brains via “En Cognito,” Downloadable Cognizance. When Petra is put into stasis, something goes wrong and for a while she is able to hear Ben, her monitor, read to her and download stories, the elective she had wanted but somehow hadn’t been chosen for her. She even hears a conflict between Ben and a political group called the Collective that has infiltrated Petra’s ship. The Collective believes that sameness is the only way to achieve peace and unity. They want to get rid of all cultural and physical differences. While the passengers sleep, the Collective begins brainwashing the passengers to serve the Collective and erasing memories. b. Throughout the trip as needed, passengers are awakened; if they have been successfully brainwashed, they become useful to the Collective and live out their lives in service. If, however, a passenger is deemed “defective,” the passenger either receives an upgraded download or is “purged.” By the time Petra is awakened, the Collective has progressed through the alphabet, and her group is the last one to be awakened. Petra’s group is called the Zetas; Petra is Zeta-1, an expert in botany and geology. In addition, during the 300 years plus journey, members of the Collective have been modifying themselves to do away with all physical differences, and the members of the Collective all have translucent, pale skin. Their lips are the color of lilacs, and their eyes so light one can see the spiderweb capillaries behind the irises. The spaceship has finally arrived at Sagan, and now the Collective is ready to determine if the planet is hospitable to them. To accomplish this, Petra and her team will visit the planet (like guinea pigs to see if the planet is safe) and KAAC Study Guides Elementary Language Arts 3  take samples. Whereas most of the passengers seem content to serve the Collective, Petra realizes how wrong their actions are and sets about rescuing her small group of Zetas The book ends with Petra, her small group of Zetas, and Voxy on the planet Sagan while the spaceship carrying the Collective leaves. The book ends with Petra believing the First Arrivers are nearby. c. Some important information about this book: Cuelensta refers to storyteller, and the title refers to Petra’s new position as the last storyteller. Petra suffers from retinitis pigmentosa. Her parents hide this “defect” so that Petra is not turned away from going on the spaceship. The leader of the Collective is the Chancellor Nyla. Her sidekick is a character called Crick. All the survivors on Petra’s spaceship now eat bioloaf and drink a “mystery yellow fluid.” They drink a tonic to control their emotional states. Petra’s brother who goes by the name Epsilon 5 created this tonic. When Petra meets Epsilon 5, she doesn’t realize he is her brother Javier until later in the story. She plans to take him with her when she escapes, but he sacrifices himself to further her plans. The stories Petra tells keep the children from devolving into the sameness of the Collective. The Zetas include three other children: Rubio, Suma, and Feathers. When Suma first awoke from stasis, her memories had not been successfully erased, so she had to return to the compartment for a new download. Voxy is a child of the Collective; he enjoys listening to Petra’s stories and stows away with the Zetas when they return to Sagan. Voxy shows Petra a secret chamber (what was once the seed vault) that contains the possessions of the passengers who boarded the ship. Petra finds the pendant from her grandmother and the book Dreamers that belonged to Javier. One of the three spaceships never left Earth; Ben’s brother was on this ship. The ship was stopped by rioting Earthlings desperate to escape the imminent disaster. The other ship is believed to be on Sagan, and the Chancellor was even making plans to eradicate them. The Collective cannot survive on Sagan because of their genetic alterations. Len, a member of the Collective, traveled with the Zetas to Sagan on the first trip. He became sick and died. Petra leaves Earth in 2061; the story takes place mostly in 2442. She is twelve when she boards the ship, but two days later has her 13th birthday. KAAC Study Guides Elementary Language Arts 4  The story is told in first person point-of-view, Petra’s perspective. Cuento means story. 2. 2021 When You Trap a Tiger by Tae Keller a. Lily, Sam, and her mother leave their home in California to go to see Halmoni (grandmother) in Sunbeam, a small town in Washington state. Although the two sisters, Lily and Sam, do not realize it, Halmoni is dying of brain cancer. Their mother quit her job to go and stay with Halmoni. Lily is the protagonist and narrator of the story. Once the three are close to Halmoni’s home, Lily sees a tiger; however, no one else sees the tiger. No one even believes Lily sees the tiger except for Halmoni, who is a tiny Korean woman who has kept her connections with her native culture. Halmoni warns Lily that the tiger is not trustworthy, but Lily still meets with the tiger numerous times. During these meetings the tiger tells Lily that Halmoni stole the tiger’s stories and if Lily returns the stories, then Halmoni will get better. So Lily decides she will protect her grandmother and sets out to “trap” the tiger in Halmoni’s basement, meet with the tiger in the library, etc. She takes with her “star jars” that contain the stolen stories. During her meetings with the tiger, a story is released from the jar, and Lily learns about a girl who was both a tiger and mortal. The stories in this book are from Korean culture. At the end of the book, Halmoni dies while Lily is telling a story. b. Some important information about this book. Lily Reeves will be going into seventh grade. She frequently refers to herself as QAG (Quiet Asian Girl), Eggi (baby sister), and as having the superpower of invisibility. Halmoni calls Lily, Lily Bean. Sam Reeves is the big sister (Unya); she is angry throughout most of the book and resentful in having to leave her home, friends, and school. She seems not to believe in the tales and magic that Lily and Halmoni believe in; however, she sneaks out at night by climbing down a rope so she can sprinkle rice around Halmoni’s house. She does this to protect Halmoni. Halmoni’s name is Ae-Cha. Ae-Cha left Korea searching for her mother who came to America. She is kind, energetic, and funny. Many in the community feel that Halmoni has helped them with their ailments. When Halmoni behaves strangely, they embrace her actions because they care about Halmoni. One of Halmoni’s customs is Kosa, putting food out for the spirits and ancestors. KAAC Study Guides Elementary Language Arts 5  Joan (Ku) Reeves is the girls’ mother. Her husband died when Lily was only four, so she has been raising the girls. She is an accountant, but she quit her job to travel to Washington state. She does find a job in Sunbeam. Jensen is a young teenager who works at the public library. Lily meets her when she goes searching for ways to trap a tiger. Jensen is outgoing, one of those people that Lily says “stick” because others are attracted to Jensen. Jensen tutors students in the library, and later in the story she develops a special relationship with Sam. Joe is the librarian. He makes great chocolate cupcakes. He looks a little like Santa Claus Ricky Everett is a boy the same age as Lily. He comes from a wealthy family, but his mother left a year ago. Since then Ricky hasn’t been doing as well in school, and he failed language arts, so he goes to the library for tutoring. He and Lily become friends, and he helps her create a trap for the tiger. Ricky loves comic books. 3. 2020 New Kid by Jerry Craft a. A graphic novel and winner of the Newbery Medal and the Coretta Scott King Award. Protagonist Jordan Banks loves drawing cartoons about his experiences and is upset that his parents have sent him to Riverdale Academy Day School (RAD), a prestigious school that is much different from his Washington Heights neighborhood in New York City. He spends free time illustrating what happens to him such as sketching Andy, a bully who mocks his height and makes stereotypical comments about race. b. Jordan’s father, Chuck, sympathizes with his desire to go to art school and his position as a Black student in a majority white school, while his mother, Ellice, insists he must learn what’s necessary to succeed in a career. He becomes friends with Liam, his guide at school. Liam is from an affluent family. Jordan also befriends Drew, who also comes from a disadvantaged background. Even though Drew is a smart student and good athlete, he acts out in retaliation to Andy’s bullying and the insensitivities of his homeroom teacher, Ms. Rawle, who can never get Drew’s name right. Jordan also becomes friends with Alexandra, a girl who uses a hand puppet and hyperactive persona to distract from a burn scar she received after saving her brother from a pot of boiling water. His neighborhood KAAC Study Guides Elementary Language Arts 6  friend, Kirk, helps Jordan reconnect with the other kids in Washington Heights. Another student Jordan likes is Colin, who strangely enough is friends with Andy. However, Colin is expelled from the school after going with Andy on a Hawaii vacation. It seems that since Colin is on financial aid, this trip is against school rules. Consequently, Andy becomes even angrier and taunts Drew and others even more. c. One day in the cafeteria Andy shoves Drew, and Drew pushes back. Andy slips on an apple but Andy claims Drew pushed him down. It looks like Drew is in big trouble until Jordan speaks up and others in the cafeteria corroborate his explanation of events. Jordan illustrates the scene of the kids helping clean up the cafeteria mess. Later, Ms. Rawle discovers Jordan’s misplaced sketchbook (left in the cafeteria) and reads through it. She calls Jordan an angry person who should be happy to attend RAD, but Jordan refutes the claim—he is only expressing his opinion through his sketches. Afterward, Jordan paints an abstract work with the encouragement of Ms. Slate, an art teacher whom he initially dismisses, and she uses it as the school’s yearbook cover. d. At the end of the novel, Jordan helps Alexandra overcome her insecurities by sharing the story of her scar with Ashley, who tells it to everyone else. Once the students see that Alexandra’s scar isn’t as bad as she thought, she is able to feel more confident and gives one of her hand puppets to Jordan. On the last day of school, Jordan arrives without his jacket on for the first time. He even signs Andy’s yearbook after everyone else refuses to, and his parents remark that he is more confident than before—a “New Kid.” e. Some important Information about this book: New Kid is the first graphic novel to win the Newbery Medal. The companion novel to this book is Class Act, which is mostly Drew’s story; Drew and Jordan are now in the eighth grade. Jordan is a seventh grader in this book. His father promised him that when Jordan reached ninth grade, he could go to an art school if he were still miserable at RAD. The school mascot for RAD is Turtles. Ms. Rawle calls Drew “Deandre.” Deandre is a sophomore in the story. He, a “real jerk”, is only mentioned a few times in the book. That Ms. Rawle keeps calling Drew by this name demonstrates her prejudice. When Drew and Andy get into the pushing match in the cafeteria, Ms. Rawle finally calls Drew by his real name. Maury is another character in the book. He has attended RAD since kindergarten and lives down the street from Liam. However, because Maury is black, the bullies in the school ridicule him, calling him Maury- KAAC Study Guides Elementary Language Arts 7  O because it rhymes with “oreo,” (a derisive label for one is white on the inside but black on the outside.) Ashley is the school gossip. Her sidekick is Ruby. Andy Peterson is the school bully; however, his friendship with Colin is a redeeming quality. Colin even explained to Jordan that Andy could be funny. Andy seems to have numerous problems. He is jealous of Drew, who took the quarterback position, one that Andy expected to fill. Andrew Ellis, AKA Drew, is a student attending RAD with financial assistance. He is extremely smart and athletic. His favorite subject is math. Alexandra uses her puppets to talk for her. When she first introduces herself, she says: “I’m Mr. Hunny Bunny, and this is my best friend, Alexandra…” Needless to say, this introduction doesn’t garner Alexandra any friends. Mr. Garner teaches pre-algebra. He has taught at RAD for fourteen years and yet because he is black, he is also the subject of discrimination. When he is introduced in the book, another teacher refers to Mr. Garner as Coach Rick, whom he is not. Mr. Roche teaches biology. For a fall sport, Jordan plays soccer. He is on Team 5: Lower Form B Team. He scores the only goal for the team that season. Jordan is the captain of the team even though he has never played soccer before. For spring sports, he plays baseball. Jordan’s old school was St. Harwell’s. Liam Landers is Jordan’s guide. He invites Andy over during the Christmas break. 4. 2019 Merci Suarez Changes Gears by Meg Medina a. Eleven-year-old Merci (Mercedes) Suárez is the child of Cuban immigrants. She lives in south Florida in a three-house row affectionately referred to as “Las Casitas,” or “little houses.” Merci lives with her mother Ana, her father Enrique, and her older brother Roli. Merci’s aunt, Tía Inés, occupies another house in Las Casitas with her twin sons, Tomas and Axel. Merci’s grandparents, Lola and Abuela, live in the last house in Las Casitas. Throughout her life, Merci has been close to Lola, but their relationship is changing because Lola has Alzheimer’s. Merci KAAC Study Guides Elementary Language Arts 8  doesn’t know that Lola has Alzheimer’s until later in the book because Lola requests that no one tell her. Enrique, whom Merci calls Papi, owns a painting business called Sol Painting, and Ana (Mami) is a physical therapist. Both Roli and Merci attend Seaward Pines on a scholarship. As part of their scholarship, they must maintain a B+ average and complete 60 hours of free labor each year. Roli, who is a gifted student interested in science, finds it easy to maintain the B+ requirement for the scholarship: Merci has to work much harder to maintain that average. b. Last year, 5th grade, was Merci’s first year at Seaward Pines Academy. To integrate new students into the school, Seaward has a program called Sunshine Buddies that pairs new students with students already enrolled in the school. Last year Edna Santos was Merci’s buddy. Edna is wealthy, popular, and at times cruel. This year, Miss McDaniels has selected Merci to be a Sunshine Buddy. Merci would rather have any other assignment, but things become even more difficult when Miss McDaniels assigns Michael Clark to be her buddy. Michael has moved from Minnesota and seems to already be fitting in, so Merci doesn’t see why she is needed. c. Edna becomes infatuated with Michael and as a result of her jealousy is mean to Merci. Edna’s cruelty comes to a head when Michael asks for Merci’s help with constructing his Halloween costume, which by the way is also part of his presentation on Anubis for social studies class. Merci is forced to invite him to her house to prove to the school that she is undertaking her student ambassador duties. Abuela makes Michael’s Anubis mask, and when Merci arrives at the school with it, Edna and her minion Jamie sneak into the classroom where the mask is being stored and destroy it. Eventually, security camera footage reveals Edna’s deed, and Edna is punished. The book ends with the continued deterioration of Lola’s mental capacities, Edna and Julie getting punished, Roli receiving a full scholarship to the University of North Carolina, and Merci getting a new bike as a Christmas present. d. Some important information about this book: Roli is 17 years old and just learned to drive. When Lola is found standing on a median in the road, Roli wrecks his mother’s car. Although the car is destroyed, both Roli and Merci are fine. Throughout the book Merci is trying to save money to buy a new bike. Miss McDaniels is the school secretary who sponsors the Sunshine Buddies Merci’s left eye suffers from amblyopia, a lazy eye. She had surgery to correct it, but at times, it still “wanders.’ Tuerto is the family cat Jamie is Edna Santos’s sidekick. KAAC Study Guides Elementary Language Arts 9  Miss Tannenbaum is the social studies teacher. Every year her students create an Egyptian tomb. This year, Miss Tannenbaum selected Lena to chair the mummy committee. Lena chooses Hannah and Merci to be her co-chairs. To make the mummy, the girls decide to use plaster of Paris to create the mummy. They select Edna, who volunteered, to be the model for the mummy. Edna becomes stuck to the plaster, and Merci must cut Edna’s eyebrows in order to release Edna from the plaster. Lena turns out to be a good friend to Merci. She has spiky hair with the ends dyed blue. She is comfortable with herself During her Egyptian presentation on Nut, she incorporates dance movements into her talk. When she is selected to chair the mummy committee, Edna is jealous. Merci loves to take photographs on her phone; she frequently modifies them with filters, animal faces, etc. The sequel to this book is Merci Suarez Can’t Dance. Merci is now in seventh grade, and her science teacher Mr. Ellis expects her to be as smart as her brother, Roli. She's been assigned to co-manage the tiny school store with Wilson Bellevue, a boy she barely knows. Her nemesis Edna Santos is bossier and more obnoxious than ever now that she is in charge of the annual Heart Ball. 5. 2018 Hello, Universe by Erin Entrada Kelly a. The book begins the first day of summer vacation; eleven-year-old Virgil is lamenting his Grand Failure, which is not speaking to Valencia Somerset. For the past school year, his sixth, Virgil has been in a resource room with Valencia, who is deaf. Because he is so shy, he never mustered enough courage to speak to her. (His parents call him Turtle because of his shyness.) Now he regrets this failure and contacts his friend Kaori Tanaka, his psychic advisor, for advice. Kaori Tanaka is Japanese American and believes she is the reincarnated spirit of a 65-year-old freedom fighter and of an ancient Egyptian. She, with her younger sister Gen, offers psychic advice, and Kaori is eager to expand her “business.” When Virgil comes to see her and confides the nature KAAC Study Guides Elementary Language Arts 10  of his Grand Failure, Kaori offers to help; however, Virgil must first gather 5 stones. She asks Virgil to take her business poster to the supermarket and post it where other children might see it. This happens; Valencia who is feeling alienated from everyone sees the card and contacts Kaori. Because Valencia isn’t sure Kaori is legitimate, she calls herself “Just Rene.” Valencia is suffering from nightmares and wants help. In fourth grade, she lost her best friend Roberta who said she and the other girls were tired of the “How-tos:” three ways to talk with Valencia. b. Saturday arrives, and Virgil leaves to meet with Kaori. He takes with him his pet guinea pig, Gulliver. While walking through the woods that separate his home from Kaori’s, he comes across Chet Bullens, who is trying to capture a snake. Chet is the class bully and continually torments Virgil, calling him “Retard.” Chet grabs Virgil’s backpack and throws Virgil’s backpack down an abandoned well with the guinea pig still inside. Virgil tries to rescue his pet but ends up trapped on the bottom of the well too. He climbed down a ladder that was too short to reach the bottom. He had to jump to reach his backpack, and in jumping, he broke his phone. While in the well, Virgil imagines a discussion with Ruby San Salvador, a character from one of Lola’s stories. Meanwhile, Valencia is making her way through the woods to meet with Kaori. She brings food for a stray dog she has named Sacred. Coming across the well, she sees the boards covering the top of the well have been moved, so she moves them back, sending Virgil into darkness. Virgil had remained quiet because he feared the person above was Chet. c. From this point on, events in the story work together so that Valencia, Kaori, and Gen rescue Virgil; Chet who got bit by a snake isn’t hurt badly (snake wasn’t poisonous), Kaori and Valencia are going into business together, and Virgil gets enough courage to stand up to Chet. Virgil even tells his parents to stop calling him Turtle and texts Valencia with the word “hello.” d. Some important information about the book: Valencia once had a pet guinea pig; she named the guinea pig Lilliput. Lola is Chet’s grandmother. She came from the Philippines to live with Virgil’s family six year ago. Virgil has older twin brothers: Joselto and Julius. They are tall, lean, and muscled. Virgil’s dad is a doctor, and his mother is a nurse. Gen is seven years old. She goes through phases of being obsessed with objects. Currently, she is obsessed with jumping rope; therefore, she carries her pink jump rope with her everywhere. The girls use this rope to rescue Virgil. KAAC Study Guides Elementary Language Arts 11  Virgil, Chet, and Valencia attend Boyd Middle School; Kaori attends a private school. Valencia calls Chet Scrunch. Sacred, the dog, follows Virgil home. Valencia is interested in animals; she keeps a zoological diary. While Virgil is in the well, Ruby tells Virgil he can write letters in his head and send his thoughts through the universe (reference to title). 6. 2017 The Girl Who Drank the Moon by Kelly Barnhill a. This story is set in the Protectorate, a community created after a volcano destroyed the area. The residents of the Protectorate were transported there by “the Sorrow Eater,” who wearing the Seven League Boots brought the survivors there. She has survived for 500 years on the sorrow of these people. To intensify their sorrow, she created The Day of Sacrifice, a day every year when the youngest baby in the community is left in the woods for “the witch” to devour. Assisting the Sorrow Eater in her endeavor are the Council of Elders and the Sisters of the Star. Throughout the story, a parent explains to a curious child different aspects of the city. During the first one, a parent explains that on the yearly Day of Sacrifice the people of the Protectorate are compelled to give an infant to the evil Witch or else she will destroy them all. This is the departure from the third person narrative used throughout the rest of the books. These interspersed tales are in the first person. b. The action in the book begins when the youngest baby is about to be left. Grand Elder Gherland and his nephew, elder-in-training, Antain are present. This baby’s mother fights the soldiers from the Sisters of the Star and is imprisoned in their tower. Although the Elders know that no evil witch comes to take the baby, they do not know that a benevolent witch picks up the abandoned infants and takes them to Free Cities on the other side of the forest and bog where these babies grow up to be happy adults. To sustain the children as she transports them, she feeds them goat’s milk and starlight. As a result these relocated and adopted infants are called Star Children. c. When the witch whose name is Xan picks up the latest baby, she is enamored with the baby and spends more time than usual with the infant. As she feeds the baby starlight, she also feeds the infant girl moonlight. Consequently, the baby becomes “enmagicked,” and Gran/Xan will raise the child whom she KAAC Study Guides Elementary Language Arts 12  named Luna. Because Luna’s magic is erratic, and Luna is too young to control it, Xan places a spell on Luna, who is five, to mask the magic until Luna is 13. d. Antain, who watched the sacrifice of the child, eventually leaves the Elders; he cannot stomach the Day of Sacrifice and feigns illness. He becomes a skilled craftsman, popular throughout the region, and wealthy. The mother of the infant is imprisoned in the tower, where she spends almost 13 years imprisoned. At first her grief feeds the hunger in the Sorrow Eater, who goes by the name Sister Ignatia. While imprisoned, Luna creates birds from paper, and when Antain visits her, the birds attack Antain, scarring his once handsome face. e. Xan, is a gentle and elderly witch, who was trained by Zosimos, is accompanied by Glerk, a large, learned swamp monster; and Fyrian, a Perfectly Tiny Dragon, who believes he is a “Simply Enormous Dragon.” Glerk has knowledge of the beginning of time and is constant and wise. Fyrian’s mother was destroyed when the volcanic eruption occurred 500 years ago; she gave Fyrian to Xan to raise. At the end of the story, Fyrian transforms to his large self. f. As a young boy in school, Antain had been infatuated with a young girl named Ethyne. Ethyne had joined the Sisters of the Star but left because she recognized Sister Ignatia’s evil nature. She leaves the tower complex, accompanied by Antain who had been visiting. The two will marry, and she has a son named Luken. Since Luken is the youngest baby in the community, he will be sacrificed. To save his son, Antain plots to go and kill the witch. He discusses his plan with his uncle, who informs Sister Ignatia of Antain’s plans. To secure the sorrow permeating throughout the Protectorate, Ignatia tells Gherland that she will kill his nephew. g. By this time, almost thirteen years have passed. Xan’s magic is weakening as Luna's power increases. Xan will soon die, but she knows she must save the latest child sacrifice. She transforms into a swallow, is shot by Antain, and then nursed by him. Luna remembers she has magic and sets out to find her grandmother. The Madwoman in the Tower escapes and goes after her daughter. While at Luna’s home, Ignatia confronts the Madwoman, who is now wearing the Seven League Boots. Ignatia pursues the Madwoman into the forest. h. While this occurs, Luna finds her grandmother with Antain; Antain, thinking Luna is the witch, attempts to kill Luna. Instead, Luna transforms Xan back into herself; the Madwoman arrives on the scene; Sister Ignatia shows up, and Glerk and Fyrian appear. Fyrian is now a large dragon. Antain learns the KAAC Study Guides Elementary Language Arts 13  truth about Sister Ignatia, and then the volcano begins to erupt once again. Xan tells Luna to create bubbles to protect the people in the region. i. Back in the Protectorate, Ethyne has initiated an insurrection. She tells the truth about Sister Ignatia to the people, releases all the prisoners in the Tower, and opens the Sisters’ extensive library to all. Mothers of sacrificed babies suddenly have visions of their children growing and becoming adults. In the aftermath, the citizens elect a new Council and put the old Elders in jail. Gherland refuses to apologize for his crimes and remains there the rest of his life. Luna and her mother move in with Antain and Ethyne, where Luna works to help heal her mother’s madness. Luna discovers that her mother’s name is Adara. Luna travels to the Free Cities, telling the Star Children about their true origins. Xan’s health fails quickly, as does Sister Ignatia’s. The Star Children return to the Protectorate, where they joyfully meet their birth families. Xan passes away listening to the sound of their happy celebration. Glerk uses starlight to awaken Xan, and together they walk into the Bog. Luna becomes the good Witch in the woods. j. Some Important information about this book: The Protectorate is sometimes called Cattail Kingdom or the City of Sorrows. It is sandwiched between the treacherous forest and an enormous bog. Most of the residents of the Protectorate earn their livelihood from the Zirin that grows in the Bog. The Elders own everything in the city. Antain is 13 when the story begins and thus around 26 when it ends. Luna has black curls, black eyes, luminous amber skin, and a birthmark in the center of her forehead that is a crescent moon. Her mother is similarly colored and also has a similar birthmark. When the baby is left, Gherland notices there are six trees instead of the usual five. The sixth tree is a transformed Xan. Glerk, the swamp monster, has four 7-fingered hands and a heavy tail that curls around him. He quotes the Poet, whom he later admits is he. Ignatia was supposed to save the wizards and scholars who lived in the now-destroyed temple. However, she didn’t use the Seven League Boots to do so and let them all die. Xan’s magic is silver and blue; Xan’s is green. Tiger’s Heart refers to Ignatia. KAAC Study Guides Elementary Language Arts 14 7. 2016 Last Stop on Market Street by Matt de la Pena (also 2016 Caldecott Honor Book, 2016 Coretta Scott King Illustrator Honor Book). a. Every Sunday after church, CJ and his grandma ride across town on a bus to a soup kitchen where they volunteer to serve food. Throughout the ride on the bus marked “5 Market Street,” CJ questions his grandma about why they ride the bus, why they don’t have a car, etc. Her answers and the passengers on the bus provide the answers that CJ seeks but is at first unable to conceive. A bind man with a service dog tells CJ to close his eyes and sees the images created by the guitar player on the bus. b. Important information about this book: Miguel and Colby are CJ’s friends. Mr. Dennis is the bus driver. The story opens on a rainy day after church; Grandma tells CJ the trees need water too. This story is a picture book, and as such the pictures provide clarification for the storyline. 8. 2015 The Crossover by Kwame Alexander (also a Coretta Scott King Award Honor Book) a. This book narrated by Josh Bell is told through verse. Along with his twin brother Jordan, the book progresses through a basketball season. The two boys, seventh graders at Reggie Lewis Junior High, excel at the game. Their father, Charles “Chuck” Bell was a professional basketball player who won back-to- back Euro league championships in the late nineties. Chuck’s career was cut short because he refused to have surgery for his patella tendonitis. The boys’ mother, Dr. Crystal Stanley-Bell, is the assistant principal at their school. Josh Bell goes by the name Filthy McNasty, a name derived from his dad’s favorite song by jazz musician Horace Silver. For most of the book Josh likes the name “Filthy,” but by the end of the story, he only wants to be called Josh. Josh is six-feet tall, one inch taller than his brother Jordan. He has dreadlocks to his shoulders. He is forward for the team and wants to go to Duke. His twin wants to wear Carolina Blue and is a better jumper and faster. Both boys are great ball players, and the prospect for high school JV is a possibility. KAAC Study Guides Elementary Language Arts 15  b. Throughout their lives the twins have enjoyed a close friendship. They frequently make bets with one another. In one bet, Jordan bet Josh that if Jordan doesn’t miss a shot in the ballgame, Jordan gets to cut a strand of Josh’s locks. Jordan makes the shot but then accidentally cuts off more than a strand. With half his hair cut close to the scalp, Josh ends up at a barber’s shop getting the rest of his locks cut. Now he is almost as bald as his twin Jordan, who gets his head shaved each month. Even though Josh is upset with his twin, their relationship seems on the mend until Jordan’s preoccupation with a girl, Alexis (AKA Miss Sweet Tea) creates a rift between the two. Josh resents Jordan’s obsession with the girl, and during one game, Josh throws the ball at his brother’s face, causing Jordan to have to go to the hospital. As a result, Josh’s mom suspends Josh from the basketball team. c. Meanwhile, Chuck, the boys’ father, is experiencing health issues. Crystal has been trying to restrict Chuck’s diet and convince him to see a doctor. In the final pages of the story, Chuck dies of a heart attack, the result of myocardial infarction. Josh, who had been suspended, is allowed to play in the final game. After the game, Josh learns of his father’s death. d. Important information about the book: Chuck was pulled over for a broken taillight; this caused Josh to be late for a ballgame. Consequently, Josh had to sit on the bench for the first half. It was during the final moments of this game that Josh threw the ball at this brother’s face. Jordan Bell likes to be called JB; he is also known as The Jumper. Vondie Little is their best friend and a player on their team, the Wildcats. Coach Hawkins reads from The Art of War to the players. The school won their first county championship for basketball. In Rebound, the book’s prequel, Chuck Bell takes center stage, as readers get a glimpse of his childhood and how he became the jazz music worshiping, basketball star his sons look up to. 9. 2014 Flora and Ulysses: The Illuminated Adventures by Kate DiCamillo. a. The story opens with Donald Tickham giving his wife Tootie a Ulysses Super Suction MultiTerrain 2000X vacuum cleaner for her birthday. Excited by the versatility of the vacuum, Mr. Tickham wants his wife to vacuum outdoors. Inadvertently, the vacuum sucks up a squirrel. Next-door-neighbor to the Tickhams is Flora Belle Buckman. She observes the KAAC Study Guides Elementary Language Arts 16  mishaps and tries to resuscitate the squirrel. After receiving CPR from Flora, the squirrel awakens, but he is changed. He now has superpowers. Flora, who is a self-described cynic obsessed with comic book characters, believes the squirrel is like the amazing Incandesto, the hero of a comic series she reads. She decides to take the squirrel home with her. Her mother Phyllis, however, believes the squirrel is rabid and wants it gone. When Flora’s father, George, comes to pick up Flora, Phyllis tries to get George to kill the squirrel. Flora overhears the conversation and is determined to save the squirrel whom she has named Ulysses. In true comic-book fashion, Flora labels her mother, the arch-nemesis. b. Ulysses the squirrel does have superpowers. He types messages on a typewriter and keyboard. He can fly. When Flora and her dad go to the Do- Nut shop, Flora takes the squirrel with them. The waitress Rita who discovers the squirrel inside a box Flora carries, goes ballistic, and Ulysses flies around the shop, creating all kinds of havoc. During the mayhem, Ulysses is injured and may be concussed. Although Flora is worried about the squirrel, the incident causes George Beckham to laugh, something Flora hasn’t seen in a long time. George is described by Flora as a sad and lonely man, especially since his divorce from Flora’s mom. Seems that Phyllis is more in love with the romance novels she writes than the man she married. After leaving the shop, George takes Flora and Ulysses to his apartment at the Bixen Arms. Flora takes Ulysses to see Dr. Meescham, who holds a doctorate in philosophy, but her dead husband was a medical doctor. She examines the squirrel and finds him to be sound. After leaving Dr. Meescham’s apartment, George is attacked by Mr. Klaus, an enormous, angry orange cat who has the same name as his owner, the manager of the apartment building. Ulysses in true hero form fends the cat off. c. As a result of these incidents, George decides to help Flora save Ulysses. When the three return to 412 Bellegrade Avenue, home, to confront Phyllis, they find Phyllis in the kitchen with William Spiver, Tootie’s great nephew. Flora had met William earlier in the book. Because he pushed his stepdad’s car into a pond/sinkhole, William’s mother had “banished” him to his great- aunt’s house. William and Phyllis are collaborating on Phyllis’s romance novel. When Phyllis sees the squirrel, she is angry and as a result, Flora announces she wants to move in with her father. Mrs. Buckman becomes upset and says that move would make her life easier. This only makes Flora’s determination stronger, but then her father convinces her to stay with her mother for the time being. In fact, Mrs. Buckman seems nicer, even inviting Ulysses to eat dinner at the table with them. During the night, Ulysses sneaks back into the kitchen to type a poem for Fora; however, Phyllis catches him KAAC Study Guides Elementary Language Arts 17  and forces him to write a false note, telling Flora he has decided to leave. Flora disbelieves the note and decides to take Mary Ann, Mrs. Buckham’s beloved shepherdess lamp, to use as leverage against her mother. d. She. enlists William Spiver to help her find Ulysses. Since it is the middle of the night, Flora has to awaken William Spiver, and he, in turn, wakes Mrs. Tickham. The three of them search for Ulysses in Mrs. Tickham’s car, but soon they run out of gas. They begin to walk. William Spiver trips over the lamp cord as they walk and his glasses are broken. William Spiver suddenly realizes he can see again. Because of his “traumatic” experience, he had believed himself to be temporarily blind. Ulysses escapes from Mrs. Buckman where she has taken him to the woods. He flies to the home of Dr. Meescham. Flora, Mrs. Tickham, and William Spiver also go to the apartment building in search of Mr. Buckman. As they reunite, they hear screaming from the hallway. Mr. Klaus has attacked Mrs. Buckman who has just arrived. Ulysses saves Mrs. Buckman from the cat. Mrs. Buckman announces how she came home and found Flora missing and was terribly frightened for her wellbeing. This heals some old wounds and allows the family to settle into a new normal. e. Some important information about the book: Flora is 10 years old. She is obsessed with her comics and frequently quotes from The Illuminated Adventures of the Amazing Incandesto, Criminal Element, and Terrible Things Can Happen to You. She has a strained relationship with her mother and is critical of the romance novels her mom writes. Phyllis Buckham, Flora’s mom, is a romance novelist and divorced from Flora’s dad. She is the “arch-nemesis” of the book and attempts to get rid of the squirrel. George Buckham, Flora’s dad, is an accountant. He is described as lonely and sad. He lives in Bixen Arms. William Spiver is eleven years old. He has very blond hair, enormous dark glasses for his temporary blindness, and is short. He is spending the summer with his great-aunt Tootie because his mother banished him. His father, also William Spiver, died, and his mom remarried a man named Tyler. The new husband sold the dad’s piano and consistently calls William Spiver, the son, Billy, a name the young boy despises. William Spiver loves words and comments on Ulysses’ poems. Mary Ann is the shepherdess lamp Phyllis ordered from London. She paid for it from royalties she received from her first book On Feathered Wings of Joy. Flora’s frequent quotation is “Do not hope; instead, observe.” KAAC Study Guides Elementary Language Arts 18 10. 2013 The One and Only Ivan by Katherine Applegate a. This book is told in the first-person point-of-view. Ivan, the titular gorilla has lived for 27 years in captivity. Although he spent his “childhood” living in the home of Mack and his wife, once he grew to adulthood, Mack had the idea of placing Ivan in a mall that he operated. With Ivan are Stella, an elderly elephant who was injured during a circus performance, and Bob, a stray dog that sleeps on Ivan’s chest at night. Stella’s foot injury worsens as the story progresses, so Mack purchases a baby elephant named Ruby. Stella cares for Ruby, so when Stella knows she is dying, she makes Ivan promise to take care of Stella. b. Also in the book are George, the janitor, and Julia, his daughter. Julia, like Ivan, is an artist, and she brings crayons and then finger paints for Ivan to use. Since Mack sells Ivan’s pictures at a novelty store in the mall, when Ivan comes up with an idea to help Ruby, he hides his pictures. These pictures are part of a puzzle that depicts a zoo that he hopes will be Ruby’s new home. He even manages to paint the words HOME on separate sheets of paper. Once he finishes his artwork, he shows them to Julia. She figures out the message and convinces her father to paste the pictures on the large billboard that had been advertising Ivan’s presence at the Exit 8, Big Top Mall and Video Arcade off I-95. c. Ivan’s painting causes an increased attendance at the mall; however, soon, reporters and a visitor from the zoo come and check out the animals. As a result, the animals are taken from the mall and placed in the zoo. The book ends with Ivan and Ruby adjusting. George, whom d. Important information about the book: At first, Ivan had forgotten his family and his capture; however, he eventually remembered. Julia is 10 years old. She passes paper, crayons, and paints through a hole in the corner of Ivan’s cage. Tag is the name of Ivan’s sister. She was captured along with Ivan but died. Not-Tag is the name of the stuffed gorilla that Julia gave Ivan. When reporters run a story about the mall animals and include the claw-stick Mack uses to train Ruby, protestors arrive at the mall. Kinyani is the name of the female gorilla Ivan courts. After he becomes comfortable enough to court her, he takes on the role of a mature male gorilla, a silverback who protects his troop. KAAC Study Guides Elementary Language Arts 19  This book is based on the true story of a gorilla kept in a Washington state mall for almost three decades. This gorilla was eventually transported to Zoo Atlanta. He was featured in National Geographic and called the Urban Gorilla. KAAC Study Guides Elementary Language Arts 20