Young Adult Fiction Book Review: Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants

Young Adult Fiction

Title: Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants

Author: Ann Brashares

Publisher: Random House Children's Books

Copyright date: 2001

Number of Pages: 320

Awards: Book Sense Book of the Year Award for Children's Literature, New York Times Bestseller, ALA Best Books for Young Adults, Publishers Weekly Flying Start

Reading Level: Independent Reader Jr. "I am a Reader"

Generally appropriate for 4th Grade to 7th Grade

These books are appropriate for the independent reader who can retain and understand more elaborate and sophisticated story elements.

Lexile: 600L

Genre: Young Adult Fiction

Summary:

Four friends (Carmen, Tibby, Lena, and Bridget) are facing their first ever summer apart from each other. Before they leave each other, they discover magical pants that miraculously fit all of them. They decide that the Pants should circulate among them throughout the summer. Bridget is off to soccer camp in Baja, Lena's off to Greece to visit her grandparents, Carmen's going to South Carolina to visit her dad, and Tibby is staying in Bethesda working at Wallman's.
 
At soccer camp, Bridget falls in love with a soccer coach, Eric. She leaps into him head first despite his hesitation. Does Eric want the same thing as Bridget, and if so, will he break her heart or follow her lead? Lena goes to Greece to see her grandparents and falls in love with a Greek boy named Kostos. Does Lena listen to her heart or her grandparents who are trying to break them apart? Carmen is going to see her dad, but to her surprise, he has a new family with a soon-to-be wife and two older kids. Will Carmen let this destroy her and her beliefs about her father, or will she be strong enough to put this behind her and embrace her extended family? Tibby is working at Wallman's and meets a kid named Bailey who happens to have leukemia. They become friends and Bailey teaches Tibby how to live her life to the fullest.
Is there a happy ending to this tale?

Academic Purpose:

This book has no relation to other content areas. But, as a teacher how I would use this book in my classroom is by helping and guiding my students on how to create and maintain a healthy relationship with friends. When my students are reading this book I would implement group building activities on how to be a good friend to everyone and why it is important to be kind to everyone you meet.

Rating System:

Categories:	5 Stars	3 Stars	1 Star	Comments
Style and Language	The book anticipates readers’ questions and uses great word choice for the age targeted. It has linear progression and communicates its point clearly.	The book follows a linear progression, with some unclear points. The word choice is okay.	The book is confusing as it doesn’t follow a linear progression at all. The vocabulary in the book is either too simple or too complex for the age group targeted.	This book uses great word choice for the age targeted. There are great vocabulary words to enrich the story. The book has a strong beginning, middle, and end, and it communicates its point clearly.   5 stars
Plot and Character Development	The plot is in depth and helps to create a picture in the reader’s mind. The plot is organized having a beginning, middle, and end. The character development is strong.	The plot is okay. The book is organized with a beginning, middle, and end. The characters are well developed.	The book is confusing and doesn’t have a clear beginning, middle, or end.	The plot is all about friendships, loyalty, and love. This book is great for young girls. All the things that young girls go through in life happen in this book. The author does a great job developing the main characters so the reader can feel that they can connect with the characters. 5 stars
Interest	The book holds real life situations which draw the reader in. The word choice and story hold the reader’s attention. The book is suitable for the age group targeted.	The book holds little interest and draws the reader in sometimes. The book is suitable for the age group targeted.	The book is very boring and doesn’t hold the reader’s attention. The book is not suitable for the age group targeted.	This book uses real life situations, such as friendships, sadness, and loneliness. So many adventurous things are happening with the characters’ summer events.   5 stars
Educational Value	The book is relatable to education. The book can be integrated into other content areas.	The book is relatable to education. The book may need further resources to help connect it to other content areas.	The book is not relatable to education whatsoever. The book is not appropriate to be integrated into other content areas.	This book has no relatable elements to other content areas. But, this book can be used to enrich the values of friendships and anti-bullying.       1 star

Young Adult Fiction Book Review: 13 Little Blue Envelopes

Young Adult Fiction

Title: 13 Little Blue Envelopes

Author: Maureen Johnson

Publisher: HarperCollins Publisher

Copyright Date: 2005

Number of Pages: 317

Awards: N/A

Reading Level: Independent Reader Sr. "I can Read Anything"

Generally appropriate for 7th Grade and Up

This level is appropriate for the established reader who can fully comprehend a substantial and complex book.

Genre: Fiction, Realistic Fiction

Summary:
13 Little Blue Envelopes by Maureen Johnson is a novel written about a shy, young, seventeen-year old girl named Virginia (referred to as Ginny) Blackstone. Ginny is living a rather normal, quiet life until a letter arrives from her quirky, adventurous Aunt Peg.  The letter contains a thousand dollars in cash and instructions: get a passport, book a one-way flight to London, then go to an address in New York to pick up a package before heading to the airport. Aunt Peg also lists specific rules: Take only what fits in a backpack. Leave credit cards, money, your camera, your cell phone, and your laptop at home, and have no contact by electronic means from Europe with anyone in America.
It seems unbelievable that Ginny would agree to these terms, but she does and is soon on her way to London with the New York package that contains twelve more letters of instruction. Therefore, when Peg tells her to get on a plane to London, Ginny is nervous, but is willing to play along. Ginny embarks on a European adventure of a lifetime. It is a trip that could be called a treasure hunt with a twist. Would you follow the directions? Would you travel around the world? Would you open the envelopes one by one? Everything about Ginny will change this summer, and it's all because of the 13 little blue envelopes.
Academic Purpose:
One of the interesting aspects of this book is it's emphasis on traveling. The main character in this book is given 13 little blue envelopes that guide her around Europe. I would introduce a map to my students, when reading this book. I would have them identify all the different countries and cities the main character travels too. Then, I would have my students make up their own traveling journey. I would have them make a list of countries they would visit, why they would go their, what is one thing that country is known for, and explain the culture of the country. This book can open pathways to learning about diversity and for students to realize how different and amazing our world is.

Rating System:

Categories:	5 Stars	3 Stars	1 Star	Comments
Style and Language	The book anticipates readers’ questions and uses great word choice for the age targeted. It has linear progression and communicates its point clearly.	The book follows a linear progression, with some unclear points. The word choice is okay.	The book is confusing as it doesn’t follow a linear progression at all. The vocabulary in the book is either too simple or too complex for the age group targeted.	This book uses great word choice for the age targeted. There are great vocabulary words to enrich the story. The book has a strong beginning, middle, and end, and it communicates its point clearly.   5 stars
Plot and Character Development	The plot is in depth and helps to create a picture in the reader’s mind. The plot is organized having a beginning, middle, and end. The character development is strong.	The plot is okay. The book is organized with a beginning, middle, and end. The characters are well developed.	The book is confusing and doesn’t have a clear beginning, middle, or end.	This book has a great in depth plot, which creates a picture in the reader’s mind. The author does a great job developing the main characters so the reader can feel that they can connect with the characters. 5 stars
Interest	The book holds real life situations which draw the reader in. The word choice and story hold the reader’s attention. The book is suitable for the age group targeted.	The book holds little interest and draws the reader in sometimes. The book is suitable for the age group targeted.	The book is very boring and doesn’t hold the reader’s attention. The book is not suitable for the age group targeted.	This book uses real life situations, such as traveling around Europe, to draw readers in. The book starts off with a strong beginning, which grabs the readers’ attention. I would recommend this book for young teenage girls.   5 stars
Educational Value	The book is relatable to education. The book can be integrated into other content areas.	The book is relatable to education. The book may need further resources to help connect it to other content areas.	The book is not relatable to education whatsoever. The book is not appropriate to be integrated into other content areas.	I thought this book would be an awesome way to introduce Geography. As the character travels around to different places in Europe, the teacher can integrate geography maps. 5 stars

Children's Literature

About Me

My name is Holly Johnson. I was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, but I have lived in Great Falls, Montana my whole life. I grew up with 10 brothers and 8 sisters. I love working with children, and when I was a little girl I knew I wanted to become a teacher. I am a Senior at the University of Great Falls majoring in Elementary Education and Special Education.

I am so excited to become a teacher. When working with children I love to see them discover and learn new things. I love to see that little "light bulb" go off in their head when they understand something new. I want to become a Special Education teacher because I believe that we should not just focus on that child's disability, but rather their ABILITY on what they can do and what they are able to do. I believe these children can do so much more than some people allow them to do. I am working hard to learn all I need to know to become a great effective teacher. 

Other things about me: I love to cook, I love doing activities with my family, I love to babysit, my favorite season of the year is summer, I love hiking and swimming, and my favorite colors are pink and purple.

Extra Curricular Activities

I am a manager for the UGF Women's Basketball Team. I am involved with the following clubs at UGF: SMEA Education Club, GLOW Club, and the disABILITY Awareness Cub. I volunteer at the Cascade County Juvenile Detention Center, and I do read-alouds at Longfellow Elementary School. I volunteer and help with different Special Olympic activities, and I am also a Sunday School Teacher at my church.

Purpose of my blog

There are many fabulous children's books out there, some of which everyone knows about and others we would have never discovered had we might not have randomly pulled the book off a library shelf. I am creating this blog to share some of these wonderful stories with you. As teachers, we are always looking for great, well written books for our students. Here I will post descriptions, reading levels, and ratings of books.

Reading Levels:

Picture Books "For all Ages"

• These books can be read by or read aloud to children of all ages. The limited text will help to maintain a younger reader’s attention, however you will often find sophisticated language. Picture books are often works of art with extraordinary illustrations.

Learning to Read Jr. "Just the Beginning"

• Generally appropriate for Pre-K to 1st Grade
  Books in this category are appropriate for the newest reader, just beginning to read on their own. They will help readers become familiar with the physical aspects of a book. The text and storyline are ideal for decoding and enjoying the narrative.

Learning to Read Sr. "The Journey Continues"

• Generally appropriate for Kindergarten to 2nd Grade
  Books at this level are appropriate for the reader starting to decode fluently.
  This reader has mastered the concepts of print and is ready to experience the story.

Reader Jr. "I can do it"

• Generally appropriate for 1st Grade to 3rd Grade
  These books are appropriate for the fluent reader who is able to grasp and follow a simple story. The equal balance of text and white space creates an environment that won't intimidate a developing reader.

Reader Sr. "I am doing it all by myself"

• Generally appropriate for 2nd Grade to 4th Grade
  Books at this level are appropriate for the now confident reader who can handle more text on the page and more in depth character development.

Independent Reader Jr. "I am a Reader"

• Generally appropriate for 4th Grade to 7th Grade
  These books are appropriate for the independent reader who can retain and understand more elaborate and sophisticated story elements.

Independent Reader Sr. "I can Read Anything"

• Generally appropriate for 5th Grade and Up
  This level is appropriate for the established reader who can fully comprehend a substantial and complex book.

 

Rating System:

Best

• These books are the BEST that children's literature has to offer. These selections should be on everyone's reading shelf. These books are classics or on their way to becoming classics.

Excellent

• These books are EXCELLENT and well-written. They are as close to a classic as you will get.  

Good

• These books are GOOD. They are not classics and may never become classics. Even though a selection in this ranking may not be the best of the best, it shouldn't be missed for one reason or another.

Ok

• These books are OK. You will probably find at least one redeeming quality here.

Bad

• These books are simply BAD. Whether the writing is poor or the content is graphic or violent without being support by a compelling plot or theme, we recommend that you pass these books by. How did they get published?

In the end, I hope we'll all have discovered at least a few new titles that will have made their way onto our list of classroom favorites. Enjoy!