Thursday, July 10, 2008

Our Reader's Responses


Elizabeth's Readers Response:
"Tales of the Fourth Grade Nothing"
My 11 year old niece and my 10 year old cousin read this book with me and enjoyed it a lot. They both felt like they could relate, but in two different perspectives. My niece has a little brother and little sister, and feels as thought she know exactly what Peter is going through with Fudge. My cousin is the youngest of three but feels that she is treated badly by her brother and sister, and that she's the good one, she said "my brother and sister always think I get into their stuff even though I just go to get my stuff back, because its mine!" One related to fudge more by being the younger of the two, and one related to Peter as being the older one.
Meredith's Readers Response:
"Blubber"
I listened to Blubber, on audiobook with my 11 year old neice, Katie. She really felt bad for Linda's character and thought the teasing her about her project was "so unfair, she didn't mean for them to call her that." When Jill and her asian best friend talked, Katie noted that Jill acted different with her than the circle of girls that caused all the trouble at school. I asked Katie if she thought what they did was wrong to Linda in the classroom, locking her up in the closet, and she agreed. She asked "Where was the teacher" and she wondered if the teacher would even care that they did it. She said "the teacher would probably blame it on Linda."
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Classroom Applications

Elizabeth's Classroom Application:








Otherwise Known as Sheila the Great by Judy Blume


4th-5th grade

Throughout a few weeks the students would read the book individually during a quiet reading time with comfortable seating and complete silence. After reading each chapter we would have discussion groups of about 5. Each group would talk about what they thought in each chapter and relate it to themselves in someway telling each other of their experiences. After the group discussion, the students would each write a letter to Sheila telling her what they thought of her behavior or what they think she should do in the next chapter, this would be their prediction to the next chapter of the story. At the end the entire class would discuss the book and how they thought it was going to end, and what Sheila possibly learned from all her experiences.





Meredith's Classroom Application:






Blubber by Judy Blume

5th - 6th grades
-- Over a period of a week section the audio book out into daily reading and have the children keep journal entries after each day of listening. (The story is about 2 1/2 hours long) Give the students a chance to work on this after the section was listened to, so they can have fresh reactions. Once the story is over, take the last day as a reflection on how we treat and act toward each other.
Could be a great lesson to use and refer back to -- keep the kids reminded on how our words can really hurt.
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Meredith's Literary Reviews


Title: Freckle Juice
Illustrated by Sonia O Lisker
Publisher:Four Winds Press/ New York
Year: 1971
In this story of Andrew who is dying to have freckles, and buys a freckle recipe from Sharon, a know it all. When Andrew discovers the morning after taking that horrible drink, he does not have any freckles. He sets a plan to make sure Sharon learns a lesson. Andrews teacher, Miss. Kelly is understanding and kind to allow him a special freckle remover; but assures another child that his freckles are too cute to remove! Andrew learns a lesson as Sharon moves on to her next victim.
Blume, writes a tale that helps children understand how were all made different and that we all have reasons to love ourselves. The illustrations in this book are black and white pencil drawings.



Title: Blubber
(Listened on Audiobook)
Publisher: Bradbury Press
Year (book published): 1974
Year (audio format): 2007
A story about treating others like you would like to be treated. Jill, plays along with her classmates in teasing, crudely, Linda. All because she reported on whales, and mentioned the word "blubber". When the jokes get harsher and eventually turned on Jill, she learns how to treat people and meets a new friend.
Blume's ability to speak to the reader in such a way that brings them into the situation and shows them the compassion that is lacking in normal experiences. The fact that she wrote about a teacher, that seemed distant and uncaring, made it possible to think about the ideas and steps that the teacher missed. If the teachers character would have been more aware and concerned, then a great deal of the hazing would have stopped. Having a character like that, made it easy for me, as a future teacher, to keep this in mind, and never let teasing get out of control.
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Elizabeth's Literary Reviews

"Tales of the Fourth Grade Nothing" is the first book of the "Fudge" books by Judy Blume. This story is based on some events that Judy Blumes son went throught as a little one. Peter is the main character, a fourth grader who has nothing but problems with his little brother Farley, aka "Fudge." Fudge is two years old and has much too much energy, and gets into everything (especially Peter's things). Peter goes throughout his fourth grade year seeing his dad lose a major account with Juicy-O because of Fudge being loud and disgusting; winning a turtle, then losing it to Fudge's stomach; working on a group project with his classmates Jimmy and Sheila, then having it colored on by Fudge. Judy Blume uses so many realistic things that everyone who has younger brothers/sisters goes through.



"Otherwise Known as Sheila the Great," is a great book for girls of different ages. Judy Blume captured the art of friendship in a very great form of what many young girls go through especially in middle school. Sheila goes out of town for the summer with her family and makes many new friends...the only problem is Sheila always acts as if she can do anything, and that she is the greatest! That would be fine except she has many fears that she can hardly stand, like dogs, water, and the dark. After a fight with her new friends Sheila learns that it is more important to be yourself, and face your fears than to lie, and run away from them. I believe that most girls in middle school can relate to trying to fit in with their friends and possibly lying to be more accepted. Judy portrays the ways girls interact very realistically and holds the reader in by connecting through experience.


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Judy Blume: "The Country's Most Popular Author of Juvenile Fiction" - Library of Congress


http://www.judyblume.com/ Biography Link:



February 12, 1938 Judy Sussman (Blume) was born in Elizabeth, New Jersey. Married John Blume in 1959, and recieved her degree in Education in 1960 from NYU. Her Daughter Randy, was born in 1961, and her son Larry was bornin 1963. She began writing after her children began school, and wanted to get her stories out, that she had known and had in her head for years. Her success as an author began with the book Are You There, God? It's Me, Margaret, in 1970. Each setting of her books is based on a place that she has lived or been in for long periods of time. Now Judy Blume lives in Key West, Florida and New York City, and is still writing.

Bibliography Link:









Awards & Honors:



  • Margaret Alexander Edwards Award, 1996


  • Eleanor Roosevelt Humanitarian Award, 1983


  • Carl Sandberg Freedom to Read Award, Chicago Public Library, 1984


  • Civil Liberties Award, Atlanta Civil Liberties Union, 1986


  • John Rock Award, Center for Population Options, Los Angeles, 1986


  • South Australian Youth Media Award for Best Author, 1988

Are You There, God? It's Me Margaret




  • New York Times Best Books for Children List, 1970


  • Nene Award, 1975


  • Young Hoosier Book Award, 1976


  • North Dakota Children's Choice, 1979

Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing




  • Charlie May Swann Children's Book Award, 1972


  • Young Reader's Choice Award, Pacific Northwest Library Association, 1975


  • Sequoyah Children's Book Award of Oklahoma, 1975


  • Massachusetts Children's Book Award, 1977


  • Georgia Children's Book Award, 1977


  • South Carolina Children's Book Award, 1977


  • Rhode Island Library Association Award, 1978


  • North Dakota Children's Choice Award, 1980


  • West Australian Young Reader's Award, 1980


  • United States Army in Europe Kinderbuch Award, 1981


  • Great Stone Face, New Hampshire Library Council, 1981

Blubber




  • Arizona Young Readers Award


  • Young Reader's Choice Award, Pacific Northwest Library Association, 1977


  • North Dakota Children's Choice Award, 1983
    Otherwise Known as Sheila the Great


  • South Carolina Children's Book Award, 1978

Superfudge




  • Texas Blubonnet Award, 1980


  • Michigan Young Reader's Award, 1981


  • International Reading Association Children's Choice Award, 1981


  • First Buckeye Children's Book Award, 1982


  • Nene Award, 1982


  • Sue Hefley Book Award, Louisiana Association of School Libraries, 1982


  • United States Army in Europe Kinderbuch Award, 1982


  • West Australian Young Reader's Book Award, 1982


  • North Dakota Children's Choice Award, 1982


  • Colorado Children's Book Award, 1982


  • Georgia Children's Book Award., 1982


  • Tennessee Children's Choice Award, 1982


  • Utah Children's Book Award, 1982


  • Northern Territory Young Reader's Award, 1983


  • Young Reader's Choice Award, Pacific Northwest Library Association, 1983


  • Garden State Children's Book Award, 1983


  • Iowa Children's Choice Award, 1983


  • Arizona Young Reader's Award., 1983


  • California Young Reader's Award, 1983


  • Young Hoosier Book Award., 1983

Tiger Eyes




  • American Book Award Nomination, 1983


  • Dorothy Canfield Fisher Children's Book Award, 1983


  • California Young Reader's Medal, 1983
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