News

Readability:  Seventh grade

Possible hard words: Proper names: Ritenour, Timothy O’Rourke, Jackie Kofsky, Sue Houston, Barb Morris Other words: presidential, referendum, stimulate, participation, cross-curricular, identical, emphasis, badgered

BEFORE READING: Point out that this article is about students in an elementary school holding their own elections.  Ask the reader if he or she has been following the present presidential campaigns and the preparations for the national election. Ask the reader to read the words from the possible hard words list.  If the reader has trouble with no more than three of the words, ask him or her to read the article silently and be ready to discuss it.  If 4 to 6 words are missed, ask the reader to read the article aloud to you.  If more than six words are missed, you offer to read it aloud so that the article can be discussed.

DURING READING:  If the reader is reading silently, tell them to ask for help with any words they find difficult.  If the reader is reading it aloud, help out with any words that stump him or her as they read.  If you are reading it aloud, tell the child they may interrupt at any point if they are not understanding what they are hearing.

AFTER READING: Use question such as the following to check comprehension and to promote a discussion of the article.

1. What kinds of things are done to help the school kids feel they are participating in the national, state, and local elections?
2. What group administers the program in the St. Louis area?  Where is it located?
3. How do the art and math classes get involved with the campaign?
4. What do these mock elections cause the kids to do about their parents’ voting in November?
5. Would you like your school to participate in Kids Voting USA? Why or why not? 

Books

Reviews of picture books are not usually appropriate for middle graders, the intended audience for YoungSaintLouis.com. However, “Presidents,” which looks like a picture book on the shelf in the intermediate section of the bookstore, is an exception.  That’s especially true in this year of presidential conventions, campaigning, and elections. 

The 64-page book is authored by James Barber, in association with the Smithsonian Institution.  That Smithsonian connection helps give the book its unique flavor. Most of the campaign memorabilia in the photographs and the artwork featured in the portraits and historical scenes comes from the Smithsonian collections. 

Besides the pictures, the brief  biographical sketches of each of the presidents are augmented with vignettes about events occurring during their terms of office.  It would be a great reference to have around in the living room as the presidential campaigns unfold on TV in front of us. And that’s especially true if you have middle graders in the house that you want to see engaged in reading about the historical background for today’s events.

The British Publisher, Dorling Kindersley, a company, which publishes other titles in the “Eyewitness Books” series, publishes  “Presidents”.  The copyright date is 2000.  The list price is $15.95, but the copy purchased for review was on sale for $10.95 at Waldenbooks.  I have found that when many adults pick it up, they can’t put it down without reading it through.
 
 

“Bud, Not Buddy” is a highly acclaimed second book by an African-American author who won multiple awards for his first book, "The Watsons go to Birmingham – 1963.”  Winner of both a Newbery Medal and a Corretta Scott King Award, “Bud, Not Buddy” is filled with humor, realistic characters, and a close look at that period in recent history called The Great Depression.

The author has a real grasp of how a 10-year-old looks at the goings-on of adults in the world around him.  The book was published in October 1999 by Delacorte Press and lists for $15.95 in hardback. 

Unlike the fantasy at the basis of the Harry Potter books, “Bud, Not Buddy” deals with the harsh realities of the world as it existed in 1936.  After losing his mother when he was six years old, Bud at age 10 feels forced to go out on his own.  He has grown tired of being passed from one foster home to another.  He has some inkling that his father is a bandleader, now in a city several hundred miles distant. 

The story contains some heavy concepts that many children would require some adult assistance to deal with.  These include loss of a mother, uncertainty of whom one’s father might be, homelessness, hunger, racial prejudice, the economic uncertainties of a society during a depression, police brutality, and strikebreaking tactics.  In spite of all of this, the book manages to be generally positive and uplifting for a young reader. 
 
 

Wise teachers and parents are seizing on the Harry Potter phenomenon to promote reading and writing in those children for whom they are responsible.  A book about the creator of the phenomenon, aimed at the young readers of Harry Potter, can be a valuable asset for teachers and parents to use along with the Potter books themselves. 

“R. K. Rowling, the Wizard Behind Harry Potter,” by Marc Shapiro, a paperback of 105 pages and costing $4.99, is just such an asset.  It is available in the intermediate section of local bookstores. 

Clearly, Shapiro, has cast his unauthorized biography of Joanne Kathleen (J. K.) Rowling to be inspirational for aspiring young authors who also might be devoted fans of Harry Potter.  Apparently, even  Rowlings has compared the hoopla surrounding her creation to the “Beatlemania” of a few decades ago. 

At least “Pottermania” is promoting something most teachers and parents can agree on as being socially desirable - more reading by young people.  Those in favor of a high level of print literacy for the next generation can’t afford to miss out on such a rarity. 

Admittedly, Shapiro is exploiting Rowling’s enormous success with Harry Potter by publishing his unauthorized biography. That doesn’t detract from its usefulness in motivating this generation of kids to read more and write more.  The book is highly readable and can be read aloud to kids who are having the Potter books read aloud to them. 

Similarly, it will be snapped up and read by those kids who can read the Potter books without adult assistance. 

My recommendation?  Read it aloud where called for. For kids who can read it by themselves, simply make it available. If you discuss it at some length with either group of kids, all the better. 

After "Harry Potter" 

The English publisher that started the "Harry Potter" publishing craze thinks it has another winner for young readers. 

Bloomsbury Press PLC is the publishing house that brought the super-popular "Harry Potter" series to market. Scholastic has the publishing rights in the United States. But, Bloomsbury is the one that first gave author J. K. Rowling her first contract. 

The first advance printing of a "Harry Potter" book in 1997 was 750 copies. 

Last month, the fourth Harry Potter book had a worldwide pre-publishing print order of 5.3 million copies, the biggest in publishing history.

Bloomsbury hopes it can make more publishing history with "Witch Child," by 51-year-old children's author Celia Rees. The "Witch Child" heroine is a 17-century girl haunted by her family's sorceress past. 

Of course, one of the major appeals of the "Harry Potter" is all the magic and wizardry associated with Harry's education at Hogwarts, the wizard's school.

"Witch Child" already was a hit this spring at a children's book fair in Italy. It has been sold to Candlewick Press in the U.S. and has publishers in at least seven other countries.

One problem: the target audience for "Witch Child" is girls 11-year-old and older. Whether the book can expand its reach like "Harry Potter" to both girls and boys as well as adults is still a question. 

"Witch Child" is due in bookstores in Britain this fall. Candlewick says it will be published in the U.S. by Halloween, 2001. 
 
 

“P. S. Longer Letter Later” is a girl’s book.  It is made up of the letters exchanged by two seventh grade girls.  They are longtime friends who have been separated when one family moved several hundred miles away. 

What appears to be unique about the book is that the two female authors, Paula Danziger and Ann M. Martin, each enter into the character of one of the two fictitious letter writers. The book developed as these two adults exchanged letters without knowing what the other one was going to say in response. 

They produced a 234-page book this way.  Scholastic, Inc. published it in 1998 as an Apple Signature Edition. It sells for $4.99.

The book has been very favorably reviewed and is already being presented in children’s literature courses as a good book for middle graders to read.  Since it is based on correspondence between two characters who occasionally introspectively analyze their own writing, it provides an excellent device to encourage its readers to engage in their own writing, whether it be letters or some other form of writing. 
 
 

Lifestyle

Readability:  Above eighth grade

Possible hard words: Proper names: Kevin Carter, Torry Holt, Nyla Snyder,  Marshall Faulk, Bridgett Jones, London Fletcher, Steve Savard, Jack Snow  Other words: character-building, virtues, respect, perseverance, responsibility, self-esteem, service, collaboration

BEFORE READING: Ask the reader to read the title and predict what the article is likely to be about.  Then have him or her read the words from the list of possible hard words.  If the reader has no problems, ask him or her to read the article silently and be prepared to discuss it.  If the reader struggles with the words on the list, ask him or her to read it aloud.  Tell the reader you will help out with any troublesome words, if asked, whether the reading is silent or aloud. 

DURING READING: Provide any words that appear to be causing difficulty.  Keep the reading as fluent or smooth as possible.

AFTER READING: Use questions such as the following to check for comprehension or to get the reader to engage in a discussion.

1. What is the main feature of the program and what seems to be its purpose?
2. What prize is held up to encourage schools to plan and conduct a good program?
3. Do you think you would be influenced by the quotations from the Rams’ players?  Which one meant the most to you?
4. Would you encourage your school to participate in the program?  Why or why not?

Your Health

Readability:  Fifth

Possible hard words: Proper names: Laticia Mayweather, Beaumont High School, Cardinal Glennon Children’s Hospital

Other words: transplant, veterinarian, considerable, residents

BEFORE READING: Assess the degree to which the reader might have difficulty with this article by asking him or her to read the words from the list above.  If the reader has problems with more than two of the words, suggest that you read the article aloud and the two of you discuss it afterward.  If the reader has trouble with two or fewer words, suggest that he or she read it aloud as you listen and be prepared to discuss it later. 

DURING READING: If you read it aloud, try to model expressive and fluent reading.  If the reader reads it aloud, help with any difficult words in order to keep the reading smooth and fluent.

AFTER READING: Use questions such as the following to promote discussion and check comprehension.

1. About how long did it take before Laticia’s liver disease was finally diagnosed?
2. Why didn’t the residents in her neighborhood know Laticia before her operation?
3. What kinds of things can Laticia do now that she has had a liver transplant that she didn’t do before?
4. Do you know any classmates or neighbors that have serious health problems? Describe.

Entertainment

Readability: Seventh grade

Possible hard words: Proper names: Doug Jacobs, Lacey Jacobs, Zack Jacobs, Rebecca Mantia, Dave Klostermeier Other words: demonstrations, pioneer artifacts, specialties, stilts, mortar and pestle, government chambers, site administrator

BEFORE READING: Tell the reader that this is about a demonstration of how families worked and played in the 1820’s.  Have him or her read the list of words from above, helping out with any that cause a problem. Then ask the child to read the article aloud to you.  Tell them to be ready to discuss it afterward.

DURING READING: Help out with any words that cause the reader to pause or are mispronounced. Be ready to explain any concepts that might not be understood.  Examples might be “pioneer artifacts” or “government chambers.”

AFTER READING: Use questions such as the following to promote discussion.

1. What are the date, the time and the cost of the St. Charles Riverfront event?
2. What are some of the “hands-on” things that visiting kids might be asked to do at the Festival?
3. Describe the homemade hammer?
4. Why did trappers come to St. Charles in the old days?
5. Would you like to be in costume and be a demonstrator at a festival such as this one?  Describe. 

Sports

Readability: Sixth grade

Possible hard words: Proper names: Andy Ahlering, Jay Delsing, Jerry Haas, Westborough Country Club, Bellerive Country Club, Brian Fogt, Parker LaBarge, Desmet High School 
Other words: unorthodox, tournaments, classification, professional, exemption, chaperones, par, architect

BEFORE READING: Find out if the reader knows anything about golf.  Tell him or her that this article is about a fifteen-year-old boy who started playing golf at age 6.  Ask the reader to read the words from the list above.  The degree to which the reader has trouble with the words tends to indicate how much help an adult must provide while the article is being read.  Few or no problems indicate the reader probably can read the article on his or her own.  Several problems indicate the reader probably should read it aloud with the adult helping out with troublesome words.  Trouble with most or all of the words indicates the adult should read the article as the child listens.  In all instances the article should be discussed afterward.

DURING READING: Keep the reading fluent with as few interruptions as possible and such interruptions should be short in duration.

AFTER READING: Questions such as the following can be used to check comprehension and stimulate a discussion of the content.

1. Why was Andy’s start in golf called “unorthodox?”
2. What did Andy do to be named the Gateway PGA’s Dutch Harrison Junior Stroke Average Champion?
3. Why does Andy want to go to a southern college?
4. What do you think a golf course architect does?
5. How do you feel about golf as a sport?  Would you want to work hard to get good at it?

Career

Readability:  Eighth grade

BEFORE READING: Have the reader read the headline and predict what might be covered in the article. Then ask the reader to read the article silently and be prepared to answer some discussion questions about the content.

DURING READING: Offer to help with any words causing difficulty for the reader.

AFTER READING: Use questions such as the following to check for comprehension and/or to promote a discussion of the article.

1. What are the objectives of the Minority Youth Construction Program?
2. What kind of time commitment is expected of those accepted for the program?
3. How is studying about construction expected to help those in the program with the study of mathematics?
4. Would you be interested in such a program if it were available to you?  Why or why not?

Games & Puzzles

Kids' Profiles

Readability: sixth

Possible hard words: Proper names:  Julie Bellm, Florissant, Jonathan Holmes, Rebecca Champion, Madame Curie, Mallinkrodt, Co., Lamontetia Holmes
Other words: profiles, fantasy, biographies, controversial, assassinated, inflections

BEFORE READING: Have the reader read the headline aloud.  Tell him or her that it’s about kids in the County Library’s summer reading program. Ask him or her to guess what might be included in the article.  Then suggest they read the words from the list aloud to you.  Help them with any causing difficulty. Ask them to read the article aloud as you listen.

DURING READING: Help out with any words impairing reading fluency.

AFTER READING: Use questions such as the following to check for understanding or to stimulate discussion.

1. What seemed to be the common characteristic of the strong readers in the summer reading program?
2. What were the biographies mentioned in the article?
3. What are some of the outside interests mentioned by these strong readers?
4. Do you consider yourself a strong reader?  Why or why not?