Literacy Now

As a literacy consultant for 20 some years, I’d heard this question often. Many teachers fail to understand the value of individual, developmental guidance during the process of writing, especially in the first 18 months of learning to read, as evidenced in research by Marie Clay. While most teachers today agree that writing (encoding) is crucial to decoding, there is much disagreement about how to teach writing.

Changing my mindset

Prior to becoming a literacy consultant, I was a teacher for more than 20 years, but I didn’t understand how conventional writing could help teach beginning reading—I didn’t understand the developmental process of writing. Neither did the kindergarten teacher on my team in the early ‘90s as we tried to develop the best kindergarten literacy program possible. We both truly believed all children learned to read just from being read to, and reading “any way” they could, within a program of immersion and exposure to meaningful print, and we developed such a program. We did include some writing—journal writing, and a story starter every week in centers, but there was no individual, developmental guidance during the process of writing. (We hadn’t heard of Cambourne’s Conditions).

A kindergarten test worth doing

To be sure our program was the “best,” we decided we needed to test the children at the beginning of our program, and again at the end. We used Clay’s Dictation, because along with testing phonemic awareness, it also tests the alphabetic principle which signifies the beginning of reading. At the end of the year we were shocked by what we saw! Our highest score was 22 out of 37, and the lowest was a zero (with four other scores only slightly above)! My fellow teacher and I were heartsick. We had failed five children by not teaching them the alphabetic principle and it was they, not us, who would bear the burden of not being able to read or write. I decided to give writing a “hard look” and I began to read everything I could find on the subject which led me to a wealth of research.

Experts taught me that writing is of major importance to early reading progress. Furthermore, a writing workshop is the best structure to use for writing, because it is based on and promotes Cambourne’s Seven Conditions of Learning: immersion, demonstration, approximation, time, responsibility, feedback, and expectation. This structure and these conditions provide for developmental learning and individual guidance during the process of writing which is important for all children, but absolutely critical to the child who is falling behind, as many scholars know.  

I began implementing writing workshops in kindergartens. In the past 20 some years, every student in every classrooms where I’ve served as a consultant has passed Clay’s Dictation with flying colors. The lowest score recorded in any of these classrooms was a 22 out of 37, the next lowest a 28, and all the rest were over 30 with many children having perfect scores 37/37. (Today they also pass the PALS Test). All these children can read and write.

Writing Workshop allows for all the right conditions of learning literacy

The appropriate transformations that enable children to understand message at the early reading stage take place only in the presence of print, and when the child is engaged and actively seeking to discover how his/her oral and written language are related, according to Clay. Writing prevents learners from overlooking many things they need to know about print, and reveals things that the teacher needs to know. All children can be introduced to a writing program at some level with which he or she can engage, and then go forward with the teacher providing some individual, developmentally appropriate strategies at points of need within a writing workshop, as seen and described in my video and book, Helping Children Become Readers Through Writing. (Note: we will refer to videos produced to support Helping Children Become Readers Through Writing. The time will refer to particular sections of the video, but will be hyperlinked to the entire video.)

Unfortunately, for kindergartners and preservice teachers, all schools do not provide writing workshops based on Cambourne’s Conditions, and this was the dilemma facing Dr. Cindy Cate and myself as we tried to plan a “hands-on” program for her preservice teachers who would work with younger children.

What is considered learning? 80% or 100%?

My testing matched Clay’s observations. Indeed 80% of kindergartners and first graders do learn to read and write on their own regardless of the teacher’s methodology; these children are flexible and able to re-orient their previous learning to the teacher’s demands.  However, with observant, supportive teachers guiding them during their process of writing, this 80% would learn to think through their reading and writing more “closely,” often generating further learning or inquiry as seen with Ryan (36:47-37:22).

What about the remaining 20%? Programs that do not allow for some individual, developmentally appropriate guidance during the process of writing or “lock-step” programs that demand a young child’s first steps into literacy be predetermined, such as teaching letters, words, and skills in isolation first while downplaying the need to work at understanding message, may be an insurmountable barrier which turns these children off into a side-road of failure. This 20% needs frequent opportunities to write and test the rules of literacy they are discovering as they actively seek to discover how their oral and written language are related, as reported by Clay. They need guidance that focuses on constructing meaning while learning strategies to aid them during the process of writing such as the Letter Name Strategy (25:02-25:33). This guidance must be individual and developmentally appropriate, or these children will struggle with literacy all their lives.

Passing the pen to Dr. Cindy Cate

My reading methods course is packed with 100 preservice teachers divided into 4 sections. We meet two times a week for an hour and 15 minutes. Luckily we have a hands-on place to practice literacy planning, instruction, and assessment. Classes are held in a literacy lab within a kindergarten-second grade elementary school, and there is also a 15-hour practicum.

I welcome the idea of setting up practicums for each preservice teacher, and I try to place them in classrooms that mirror my curriculum. In these practicums, preservice teachers document their student’s literacy behaviors, strengths and needs which guides their instruction. This documentation is supported by class discussions and required course readings.

In the beginning of the semester, the first three chapters of Arlene’s bookare required reading, because they focus on guiding the emergent writer-reader. Additionally, we view her instructional video and read Chapter five in conjunction with the video.  The preservice teachers were eager to apply the lessons in the classroom.

Once they were well into their practicums, I was approached with confusions and disappointment from those working with kindergarten students who did not have a writing workshop. These students didn’t know why their practicum experiences should be so different from what they were learning. They wondered how they would be able to foster their students’ literacy growth stage from emergent to early writer-readers.

Unfortunately, it is a fact many kindergarten classrooms do not implement a writing workshop that embraces immersing children “in the process of meaningful writing where the proper conditions of learning language are valued,” as recommended by Schulze. These conditions, based on Cambourne’s research, are discussed during the first week of classes with my preservice teachers for good reason. Similar to what Schulze cites, I, too believe that teaching preservice teachers “how” to teach reading and writing in a workshop, literacy lab environment is the only structure or approach to use.

I rely on Cambourne’s Seven Conditions, the consistent referencing of these conditions support the activities and assigned tasks in my reading methods course. Cambourne informs us that the same conditions that support children as they develop oral language can be used as a developmental model for all literacy learning—basically, using strengths to teach weaknesses (Routman).  Preservice teachers easily latched on to these conditions, especially when they read sections of Arlene’s book and were able to connect them to what they know they are learning.

When my preservice teachers share their documentations of their students’ behaviors, strengths and needs, we discuss the methods they used and weigh their usefulness against Cambourne’s Conditions as to being developmentally appropriate. For example, one of the preservice teachers reported his kindergartner’s assignment was to copy the letter “M” repeatedly on a worksheet, however, the kindergartner did not understand how to communicate his oral language into written language yet. The class decided because the kindergartner had not been “immersed” in the process of writing, and did not yet understand the alphabetic principle, he did not have the “responsibility” to derive any learning from this assignment. For letter knowledge to transfer to conventional writing, letters are learned best in the “process of writing” as can be seen with Trent (32:13-33:51).

This is how we resolved our problem of “haves” and “have nots.” Even though all my students couldn’t have a hands-on practicum experience in a writing workshop based on Cambourne’s Conditions, we were able to provide a positive experience through class discussion utilizing Cambourne’s Conditions.

Arlene C. Schulze is a longtime reading teacher-specialist, consultant and author, and she remains active as a literacy coach and speaker in Wisconsin promoting writing's value to reading, especially  on the emergent reading level and author of Helping Children Become Readers Through Writing. Cindy Cate, a graduate of UWSP, worked as  a Title I reading teacher and specialist in the Appleton Area School District of WI.  Currently she is an assistant professor of reading for UWSP .  Her doctoral study focused on preservice teacher's perceptions of planning reading instruction, and currently she chairs the preservice teacher committee of the Wisconsin State Reading Association.

“Congratulations, Kip Glazer! You are the newest winner of our One Classroom at a Time Grant!”

A perky news reporter walked into my classroom with her cameraman in September 2013, holding an oversized check. She truly surprised me because I sent the application in June and completely forgot about it!

As a veteran teacher, I have written many, many grant applications. On my LinkedIn profile, I have listed several I have won over the years. However, I have always felt a bit uncomfortable about talking about my experience. Don’t get me wrong—I am not shy about submitting grant applications. I submit several of them each year, but many of them have been rejected. I have learned to deal with the feeling of getting polite rejection letters. They all pretty much say the same thing, they regret not being able to fund my project. They wish that I try another time. But as Shakespeare once said, “Wise men ne’er sit and wail their loss, but cheerily seek how to redress their harms.”

One of the reasons I win grants is because I do not let rejection get to me. Although I feel the reason I win grants was because I was at the right place at the right time, I am happy to share a few things I have done. I hope it will help teachers in a small way in submitting their own grant applications.

Just start!

Arthur Ashe once said, “Start where you are. Use what you have. Do what you can.” Anyone interested in winning grants should just start. Don’t wait. Do it now! Type in “teacher grants” into a search engine and begin. There are tons and tons of websites helping teachers find grants online. I also subscribe to list services that send out grant applications weekly. I usually look at the emails when I have about 20-30 minutes to spare. When I see a grant I think I should apply for, I just sit down and write the application and hit submit. I don’t stop until I am finished because I know it is unlikely I will go back to it later. Remember, you can never win a lottery unless you play! Just keep writing!

Create a go-to document

To expedite the process, I have a Google document I keep with all the list of projects I would like to pursue. Whenever I think of a new idea, I put it in that document. I add bullet points under different projects. I add what the project is about, how many students it will serve, what types of standards it will target, what supplies I will need, etc. That document also houses the paragraphs from some of my previous grant applications. I definitely keep paragraphs from winning grant applications!

Leverage media and target local organizations to build personal relationships

Several of the grants I won were small and they came mostly from local educational agencies or charitable organizations. Some of them were unsolicited. The first time I won a grant from my county office of education, there was a newspaper article. I cut out that article and sent it to various local charitable organizations with a letter asking for more donations to the project. I received a lot of polite rejection letters, but some led to making connections with people at local organizations. Even when they say no to me, I send a thank you card for their time. As a result, these new friends have donated money to my students who need help with AP testing fees.

I have also cultivated friendly relationships with local media. Prior what I consider to be innovative projects, I typically do an additional lesson with my students on how to write a press release for local media. I also email different online news sites to connect with the writers. One communication resulted in a Mindshift blog post. With that, I was able to contact other local charitable agencies to request additional funding for other projects.

Crowdsource and collaborate

In addition to asking for donations, I often ask my friends and their acquaintances to share information on various grants. Just the other day, a parent of one of my graduates sent me information on a $150 grant. It only took me five minutes to complete the application. It is worth letting people know you are always on the search for grants. I have also shared information on grants with other teachers that didn’t quite fit me. So please email me if you know of any grant for which I should be apply!

Always consider collaborating. The largest grant I won was with two other teachers. The grant was brought to me and we wrote the application together. While working on the grant application, I learned so much about what my colleagues are doing and we all benefited from winning the grant.

Document and share the results

Each time I won a grant, I made sure to create a quick digital presentation or a blog post of how the money was spent. No matter how small or how much large the award, funders love to see that their donations are making a difference. I not only honor the people whose generosity made things possible but also teach my students that no one does these things alone. It has always been important for me to teach my students to be gracious. A picture on a blog with credit accomplishes that more quickly. It has helped my cause as well. I have used my links to the pictures and videos more than once for additional projects. Pictures really are worth a thousand words!

I don’t mean to profess to be an expert grant writer. I am not. I am a teacher who won a few grants during her career. I sincerely hope you find some use from my experience. Good luck to you all!

Kip Glazer is a native of Seoul, South Korea, and immigrated to the United States in 1993 as a college student.  In 2002, she graduated Cum Laude from California Polytechnic University in San Luis Obispo with a Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science. She earned her Master’s Degree in Curriculum and Instruction from Chapman University in 2004, while receiving her California Single Subject Teaching Credential in both Social Studies and English. Since then, she has earned additional teaching credentials in Health, Foundational Mathematics, and School Administration. Glazer is currently pursuing a Doctorate of Education in Learning Technologies at Pepperdine University. She is the current team leader for Independence High School’s Teachers’ Professional Development Grant funded by California State University, Chico. She maintains a blog about her projects and grants.

This is an invitation, a moment to pause, think big, and reclaim your children’s voices in the classroom. This is an invite to twist.

I am fortunate to have frequent visitors to my classroom. Many of them are students in the graduate education courses I teach in the summers and evenings. Often, as my visitors depart, they ask, “What do you do to make your classroom work and how can I do it, too?” This question is BIG and bewildering, because our community of learners is built atop a mass of small decisions grown out of my larger philosophy of how students learn.

I roll just outside of tradition. It is hard to encapsulate the theories that build up our days, but as I reflect, there are some specific decisions or “twists” that, over time, have changed the way my kids “do school.” I call them twists, because they are small tweaks on big traditions offering new opportunities, ways of seeing, and possibilities for who "drives the bus." I would like to shine a light on my top 10 twists sitting just outside of the ordinary but have brought out the extraordinary in the children I teach.

Leave your walls blank for the first day of school

Give yourself a break. Step back from the luring calls of websites like TeachersPayTeachers and Pinterest. Throw away all of your commercial posters, and open up the year with bare bulletin boards and walls. Watch how your students become empowered as they make the classroom their own.

Ditch behavior management systems based on penalties and rewards

Take down the behavior chart, review the research on motivation, and invite students to take the lead in running the classroom. Try out community meetings, one-on-one conferences, and empathy as chief tools for helping students grow emotionally and socially.

Let your students choose their seats

Each week invite students to select where they sit in the room. Choice seating prompts students to have authentic conversations about learning styles and peer collaboration and increases their level of ownership for the places where they thrive. Encourage students to construct and reconstruct desk and table configurations to best fit the learning goal.

Step away from the copier

Take one day when you step away from the copier and refrain from using any previously copied worksheets and materials. Instead, invite students to orally tell stories of their learning, reflect in a spiral notebook, or use a variety of artistic representations to show what they know. Notice what happens when students no longer need to learn how to “complete” the worksheet and instead concentrate on experiencing the content on their own terms.

Take a wonder walk

Take a walk with your students across campus, in the surrounding neighborhoods, or simply through the halls to another part of the building. Before you walk, voice an intention—to search for environmental print your students might use in their poetry, to capture dialogue by unexpected bystanders to serve as inspiration for their writing, or to notice how the desks in different classrooms are arranged and why. These walks engage students and extend the learning spaces in your classroom.

Try oral storytelling

Throughout the day tell oral stories. Invite professional storytellers, parents, school employees, and members of your larger community in to tell their story. Storytelling builds empathy, awareness, and connections while building the foundational skills for growing lifelong writers and readers.

Give your leveled library a vacation

Un-level your library and discard your buckets with letters indicating who can and will read what particular books. Then engage your students in thoughtful conversations about how to select books that grow them as readers, and how readers select different books for different purposes. Invite students to reorganize the library in a way that best fits their needs.

Create a student-teacher writing/reading dialogue journal

Each week ask students to write to you in a composition book about what they are writing and reading. Then respond narratively to their journey. Occasionally, send the composition book home and ask parents to join in on the written conversation. Use this book to engage students in the talk of real writers and readers, to show the interconnection between writing and reading, to highlight individual trends, and to document growth over time.

Read books that spark critical conversations

Read provocative books aloud to your students that speak to issues of race, power, poverty, sexuality, and gender. Engage students in oral and written conversations on whose voices are heard, whose are silenced, and why.

Put the Lined Paper Away and Step Away From the Stapler

Provide students with multiple types of paper to write on including plain white, lined, and colored. Instead of giving children pre-made blank books, invite ownership and innovation by letting them take charge of the stapler and tape dispenser.

Want to share your classroom twists? Email them to social@/.

Dorothy Suskind is a fifth grade teacher at St. Christopher School in the Richmond, Va., area and an associate adjunct education professor at University of Richmond.

Fifth-grade teacher Emily Keifer believes in professional organizations. Since joining International Reading Association she has thrown herself fully into the group, attending meetings, taking a role in council, attending conferences and a leadership retreat.

The Indiana educator, who researches the role of multicultural literature in schools, says all of these experiences have enriched her teaching and she looks forward to a long and fulfilling career that will be sure to include inspiration from her peers and continued growth in IRA.

How did you begin your career and what led you to your current position?

My career began long before I ever attended an education class in college. I fell in love with teaching when I would sit my brother and sister down for “class” in our basement. I knew from a young age I had to have a career where children were the main component.

Since graduating in 2007 I have been working at Cowan Elementary School in Muncie, IN, as a fifth-grade literacy block instructor. Two years ago social studies was added to my curriculum. Language Arts has always been my subject of passion and I love helping place books into hands of eager readers.

How long have you been a member of IRA? How has membership influenced your career?

I have been an IRA member since my senior year of college. Dr. Rice, my beloved English professor, instilled in my class the importance of joining and actively participating in professional organizations. I joined IRA and started attending local council meetings. This led to taking a position in the local council, and becoming active in the state council. IRA has profoundly impacted my career as an educator. I have been fortunate enough to attend the past four IRA Conferences, which has given me a great deal of professional development, networking, and resources for my teaching. Attending the IRA summer leadership training retreat this year was also a wonderful experience that helped me grow in my career.

What do you consider to be your proudest career moment?

The proudest moment in my career isn’t just one moment—but many different, yet similar, instances. I love helping kids find “their book.” I firmly believe every individual has a book, or multiple books, that speak directly to their heart. There are books that have changed my life and impacted who I am; and helping kids find theirs is a joy. Sometimes I think of myself as a matchmaker—only instead of finding mates, I find book matches. When I see a child come alive while reading a book, my heart just beams. There is a book like that for everyone—educators just have to help find that fit.

Talk a little about your research. Why do we need multicultural literacy?

There are so many pieces of literature that help children not only learn about a life experience different than their own, but also expose a lifestyle that may be completely out of their range of knowledge. These books are a necessary part of the reading curriculum. However, just offering them as a choice is not enough. Students need to be engaged in discussion and research learning that helps them challenge the views they have. Why do they have these views? Where did they get them? Do those views need to be changed? Through these conversations, students can grow their thinking and challenge others in a respectful way.

So many more examples of multicultural literacy are finding their ways onto bookshelves and into classrooms. Educators are seeing the impact these titles can have when brought into a collaborative effort of teaching. However, we need to ensure all students have the opportunity to push their thinking—and the thinking of those around them.

What do we do next to make improvements?

I believe more educators need to become aware of the power multicultural literature can have in their classroom. Educators also need to be given the opportunity to study this literature, and learn strategies for creating a classroom discussion where all student voices are valued.

What role do you think literacy takes across subject areas? Do you see a shift in awareness?

There has been a huge shift in the role literacy takes across subject areas—even in my eight years of teaching. All content areas have literacy as their cornerstone. Fifth grade, the grade I teach, is such a pivotal age for requiring students to be proficient readers to understand content areas. Students continue to really use their reading skills to gain knowledge in areas such as social studies and science. This is great! Students start to really understand all learning is tied together. Educators need to help students construct their understanding that by gaining skills in one area—they will grow in other areas too. This also means educators need to understand the importance themselves, while seeing the importance of teaching other content areas from a literacy standpoint.     

What are you reading (personal, professional, or even children's/YA)?

Currently I am in the middle of eight books—all very different however. Personally I am reading Positive by Paige Rawl, a student at Ball State University, which is where I teach a children’s literature course, and where I graduated with my Bachelors and Masters. A second personal book is Jodi Picoult’s new novel Leaving Time. Professionally, I am always reading Donalyn Miller’s books, Reading in the Wild and The Book Whisperer (this may be my fifth or sixth time through them, and Word Nerds by Brenda J. Overturf. Last week I was introduced to the story The Fantastic Flying Books of Mr. Morris Lessmore, which made my heart sing from the very beginning. I am working on a lesson to use with my fifth graders, read it to my family over the holidays. I hope everyone gets a change to read this amazing title!   

What advice would you give a new teacher that either you received or wish you had?

During my first year of teaching I took the advice of Kenny Chesney and started a “The Good Stuff” binder. In this binder I placed encouraging notes from other staff members, drawings from students, thank you cards from teachers, positive emails, and newspaper clippings. The things in this binder made me smile when I received them, and still make me smile when I look over them today. Everyone has rough days, and whenever I have one, I will look through some of these notes and letters and it really helps me remember what is important about education—being in it for the kids! 

April Hall is editor of Reading Today Online. She can be reached at ahall@/.

There were so many chapter books we loved this year, we couldn’t fit them all into one post. Here is part two of our favorite chapter books of 2014 for middle grades and young adult readers.

Part one of our list posted Dec. 15.

Middle Grades

Larson, Kirby. (2014). Dash. New York, NY: Scholastic Press.

Readers can trust this author to deliver engaging, heart-wrenching historical fiction with likeable characters. Tracing the removal of the Kashino family from their home in Washington to a series of Japanese internment camps, the story begins after the attack on Pearl Harbor. Suddenly, everything changes, and 11-year-old Mitsi is bewildered by the attitude changes in her classmates and friends. It seems that she has no one left except her beloved dog, Dash. As she tries to come to terms with her friends' betrayal and the bigotry she sees all around her, word comes that all Japanese are to be rounded up and relocated. The family can only take a small number of possessions, and dogs are not allowed in the camps. Fortunately, an elderly neighbor, Mrs. Bowker, agrees to take in Dash. Young readers will feel their own hearts breaking at the separation, but then feel reassured once a series of letters from Dash arrive at the camp. The author provides insight into the fear and prejudices of that period in history while also describing the difficult conditions under which the internees suffered. Readers may have a clearer idea of what was happening stateside during WWII if they read this one alongside Larson’s earlier Duke (Scholastic, 2013) about the sacrifices a young boy makes during the same war.

—Barbara A. Ward, Washington State University Pullman

Lovejoy, Sharon. (2014). Running Out of Night. New York, NY: Delacorte Books for Young Readers.

An unlikely friendship forms between a 12-year-old white girl with no name—her family simply calls her Girl—and the runaway slave she befriends, Zenobia. Zenobia dubs her benefactor Lark. The girls set off in search of freedom since it's clear from her abusive treatment at the hands of her father and brothers that Lark, too, is enslaved in her own way. The girls must travel at night and hide and sleep by day since not only are Lark's family members in pursuit of her, but finding Zenobia means collecting a reward. Just when they reach a safe house and are preparing to head to the North, the worst thing that can possibly happen does, and once again, Lark, Zenobia, and Brightwell, another runaway slave with whom they have connected, find themselves in trouble with no help in sight. Each chapter begins with a proverb or wise saying linked to nature. Readers will be swept up by the drama and fast pace of this powerful debut novel. As Lark demonstrates, sometimes you have to leave the place with which you are most familiar as you search for freedom.

—Barbara A. Ward, Washington State University Pullman

Prins, Marcel. (2014). Hidden Like Anne Frank: 14 True Stories of Survival. New York, NY: Scholastic/Arthur A. Levine Books.

Anne Frank’s diary describing how her family hid from the Nazis fascinates middle graders who are shocked to learn that, in the end, she died in a concentration camp. This book tells the stories of 14 young Holocaust survivors who, like Anne Frank, went into hiding in the Netherlands during WWII. Some stayed with members of their extended families, but others stayed with strangers. While some of their benefactors were kind-hearted, often risking their own lives to help these children or teens, others were motivated by the money the Resistance movement provided for their care. Some found a safe place to stay for the duration of the war while others lived in as many as 15 or 45 different places. Several bonded with their surrogate or adopted parents and hardly knew their parents when they returned to claim them. Some lived knowing they survived, but the rest of their family did not. Survivor Donald de Marcas claims, “What followed was years of tears. A whole lifetime. That war will not be over until I take my last breath.” The stories vary in length, especially compelling because they are told in the individual voices of Holocaust survivors. Surprisingly, some even found love during this horrible time. Each story contains photographs and the back matter highlights a gallery of the survivors. Because the stories are so accessible and so brief, this book would be an excellent supplement to a Holocaust unit or one featuring Anne Frank or other stories about human rights violations. It is highly recommended.

—Barbara A. Ward, Washington State University Pullman

Telgemeier, Raina. (2014). Sisters. New York, NY: Scholastic/Graphix.

While few would dispute that sisterhood is powerful, being a good sister is difficult when the two siblings are as different as these two are. Drawing from her own childhood as she did in her debut title, Smile (Graphix, 2010), the author/illustrator describes an eventful road trip from San Francisco to Colorado during which the two come to terms with their differences. The book shifts from the road trip to earlier moments when Raina longs for a sister only to be horrified at how noisy her new sibling, Amara, turns out to be. The book also reveals some of the thorns of contention as the two compete for art prizes and deal with the death of various pets and their even-more crowded living conditions once their younger brother arrived. Some readers will smile in recognition at the way Raina shuts everyone out with her headphones and how Amara pitches so many fits and goes her own way, unconcerned about what others think about her. Still, the trip affords both girls glimmers of insight into how they might navigate a truce. Ultimately, they bond over the problems growing between their parents. Essential reading for anyone with a sibling or someone trying to make sense of family dynamics, this one will fly off the classroom book shelves.

—Barbara A. Ward, Washington State University Pullman

Young Adult, Grades 9-12

Mathieu, Jennifer. (2014). The Truth About Alice. New York, NY: Roaring Brook Press.

Many readers will recognize a girl like Alice Franklin—and maybe, if they're honest, they even added to her reputation as a bad girl or contributed to the rumors she was the school slut. Somewhat of a free spirit with plenty of time on her hands and little parental supervision, Alice begins sexual experimentation at an early age, but then, through a series of events that escalate after she refuses the advances of the star football quarterback, she becomes the victim of several rumors and comments written in bathroom stalls. As she becomes increasingly isolated, even her best friend forsakes her to maintain her own popularity and keep some distance. Surprisingly, the only student willing to spend any time with Alice is the school nerd, Kurt Morelli, who tutors her in math. Since the story of Alice's fall from grace is told from four points of view—Elaine, the class Teen Queen, Kelsie, Alice's former best friend, Josh, the best friend of Brandon, the quarterback, and Kurt—readers glimpse several versions of what happened to ruin Alice’s reputation as each one tries to justify his/her actions while keeping secrets. Every high school has an Alice, an attractive female whose reputation is damaged for one reason or the other, but the author’s decision to tackle the sexual double standards in our society add to this one’s thoughtfulness and make it ideal for class discussion. It's interesting to consider how willing many are to think only good of the heroes in our lives and only bad of the villains. And Alice has the last word in the end.

—Barbara A. Ward, Washington State University Pullman

O’Porter, Dawn. (2014). Paper Airplanes.  New York, NY: Harry N. Abrams.

This British import told from alternating points of view explores the unlikely friendship between two Guernsey teens during 1994 and 1995. Renee is the school prankster with a reputation for having many boyfriends and being sexually active. Flo is best friends with Sally, a girl who constantly puts her down and is so self-absorbed that she hardly pays attention to Flo. The girls have never really bonded, but when Flo's father dies unexpectedly, the two of them are drawn together because of their shared losses and their dysfunctional families. As the friendship grows, Flo still hangs onto her relationship with Sally and doesn't want to tell her that she and Renee are now friends. Renee also does damage to the relationship because of her attraction to Flo's older brother Julian who is a bit of a player. When the truth comes out, Flo is understandably destroyed, sure that Renee was never really her friend. There are various betrayals described in the book that make it realistic and enhance reader interest as well as complications provided by Renee's younger sister Nell who is dealing with an eating disorder. The helplessness and clueless of many of the adults in the girls' lives add to the book's authenticity and make the bond between Flo and Renee even more important.

—Barbara A. Ward, Washington State University Pullman

Pratt, Non. (2014). Trouble. New York, NY: Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers.

Both characters in this book have secrets about which the author drops hints throughout the book. Fifteen-year-old Hannah Shepard is pregnant, which is not all that surprising, given her reputation as being somewhat free with sexual favors. The school is rife with rumors about who the father might be. But Aaron, a new student at the high school, steps up to act as the surrogate father even though the two of them have never had sex. Alternating from both points of view—Hannah's and Aaron's—the book features a strong writing voice and complex characters. Plenty of mistakes and assumptions are made, and readers will feel empathy for both teens while also wondering about some of their decisions. Even Hannah's grandmother and Neville, the grumpy elderly man with whom Aaron spends time, are carefully drawn although the grandmother assumes less importance toward the book's conclusion. Readers will enjoy watching Aaron and Hannah take their first halting steps toward trusting each other even while vacillating in their feelings toward one another. Whether their relationship ever blossoms into a romance or not, what's most important is that finally, the two of them have someone on whom they truly can count.

—Barbara A. Ward, Washington State University Pullman

Quintero, Isabel. (2014). Gabi, a Girl in Pieces. El Paso, TX: Cinco Puntos Press.

California high school senior Gabriella (Gabi) Hernandez is caught between not being Mexican enough and gravitating toward the things white girls do—at least according to her mother. To make sense of her world, she keeps a journal about her own struggles with self-esteem and related weight issues, also writing about her best friend Cindy's pregnancy and her other best friend Sebastian's coming out to his family. As if that weren't enough, she's caught up in the drama of multiple crushes and physical attraction toward the wrong guy. As she deals with mixed messages about how good girls behave, Gabi also keeps hoping that her father, a meth addict, will somehow manage to clean up his act. While the supporting cast with which Gabi is surrounded is strong, and her boyfriend turns out to be a good guy, it is Gabi herself who reveals strength and the determination not to let her circumstances define her. She is not a teen who needs saving, but one taking steps to save herself. Teen readers will love the inclusion of Gabi's poems and the illustrations in her zine and be pleased once she eventually finds her own voice. The author provides ample doses of humor and pathos in this marvelous book as each day provides another struggle with food choices and relatively unimportant choices as well as important decisions, depending on one’s perspective. So refreshing is Gabi's appetite for life that readers will be sad to reach the book's conclusion and have no more time to spend with her.

—Barbara A. Ward, Washington State University Pullman

Zail, Suzy. (2014). Playing for the Commandant. Somerville, MA: Candlewick Press.

Hanna Mendel’s bright future as a concert pianist is quickly dimmed when the Nazis occupy Hungary. At first, her family lives alongside other Jews in a ghetto in Debrecen, but after they are transported to Auschwitz-Birkenau, Hanna and her older sister Erika do their best to survive after being separated from their parents. Hanna's former piano teacher spots her among the prisoners and suggests that she audition to play piano for the camp's commandant, a cruel man given to fits of rage. But the job also means more food to help the sisters survive so Hanna plays her heart out. While playing for the commandant and his guests, one of whom shows off a collection of teeth taken from the Jewish prisoners, Hanna comes to know the commandant's son, Karl Jager who is kind and increasingly upset about his father's cruelty. He does his best to help Hanna. As the Allied forces draw near and liberate the camp, Hanna is desperate to find her sister while also needing to hide as the Nazis desperately destroy as much evidence of their evil deeds as they possibly can. Readers will witness the harsh conditions of the concentration camps while also understanding how someone might be willing to do anything in order to survive. It's also worth considering how Karl manages to be totally unlike his father. The ending may surprise readers since the heart often disregards how others expect it to behave.

—Barbara A. Ward, Washington State University Pullman

These reviews are submitted by members of the International Reading Association's Children's Literature and Reading Special Interest Group (CL/R SIG) and are published weekly on Reading Today Online.