Khristina's Book Blog

I read freedom summer  by Deborah Wiles. This book didn't receive any major awards. This book is so sweet! It's from the point of view of a little white boy named Joe whose best friend is a little black boy named John Henry. There are things Joe can do that John Henry can't like swimming in the public pool, but that doesn't stop them from being best friends. They even built a dam in a creek to create their own swimming spot. However, there comes a day where the rules of separation are now gone, and John Henry and Joe could do things together now. The first thing they wanted to do together was go swimming in the public pool, but when they got there it was being filled with black tar. This made John Henry angry, so Joe had the idea of going to the general store to get ice cream, and that's exactly what they did, together. This is a very heart-felt book, and I love the truth it reveals about kids who were living in this time period. I think the appropriate grade level ...

I read Ellen's Broom by Kelly Starling Lyons. This book received the Coretta Scott King Book Award in 2013. I absolutely loved the illustrations in this book. The illustration on the cover is what caught my eye for this book because it's bright, colorful, and done extremely well. The story is in the time right after slaves were free, and the more specific focus in this story is that previous slave couples could now legally be married. So, Ellen's parents were already married in the eyes of God, but they wanted to be married in the eyes of the law as well. Ellen's parents told the story of how they were originally married, and the tradition of the broom which Ellen absolutely loved. In the end, Ellen decides that when she gets married she's going to keep the broom tradition alive. This was such a sweet story, and I would definitely read it in my future classroom in history when finishing up slavery. I think this is a beautiful story that portrays the happiness that ...

I read OX-CART MAN  by Donald Hall. This book received The Caldecott Medal in 1980. When I first saw and even flipped through this book, I thought it was going to be a pretty bland story with not much content. However, after reading the book I really enjoyed it. The book talks about the Ox-Cart Man and what he's loading up in his ox-cart to take to the market to sell. When he gets to the market he sells everything, all the way down to his actual ox. Then, the Ox-Cart Man goes back to his family, and they all start making the pieces they contributed to sell for next year. I think it's a sweet story, and it does a great job of showing this time in history. There is also lots of good vocabulary used in this book. I like this book, and would use it in my classroom incorporated with history. I think the appropriate grade level for this book would be first to fourth grade. A way I would use this book in my future classroom would be to do an activity where the students imagine they we...

I read Henry's Freedom Box by Ellen Levine and illustrated by Kadir Nelson. This book was recognized as a Caldecott Honor book in 2008. This book is historical fiction and it is evident why because the main character, Henry, is a slave, and the book does a great job of portraying what life as a slave looked and felt like. The book starts out with Henry as a young boy, but when his family's master becomes ill Henry is sold to another master to roll tobacco. Henry's life changes when he meets a sweet girl named Nancy. They end up getting married and have children, and they even get to live together even though they have different masters. Nancy's master is having financial problems, so he sells Henry's wife and children before Henry could even say goodbye. After that, Henry comes up with the idea to mail himself to a place where he can be free. With help of others, and being tossed around in a box a bit, he finally makes it to Philadelphia where he is finally free. I ...

I read the book The War That Saved My Life by Kimberly Brubaker Bradley. This book is a Newberry Honor Book. I didn't realize how much I was going to love this book until I started it. Honestly, I was kind of dreading having to read it since it was historical fiction. They say never judge a book by it's cover, but I definitely learned to never just a book only by it's genre. The book's main character is Ada who has a little brother named Jamie. Ada was born with a disability labeled as a club foot, and her mother only sees her as disabled. Ada's mother doesn't allow Ada to go outside, and treats Ada horribly. Things have always been awful for Ada, but she hadn't even realized how awful it was for her until she got out of the abuse. The title fits the book perfectly because if it wasn't for the war Ada wouldn't have had anywhere to run away to. All of the children in the town were being sent away from London for safety from Hitler and his armies. So, ...