Month: November 2024

Hotel Balzaar

Sophie Rosen ,

DiCamillo, Kate. Hotel Balzaar. Somerville, MA: Candlewick Press, 2024.
Marta and her mother live in a hotel. All day long, while her mother is cleaning rooms, Marta, quietly and invisibly wanders the hallways, wondering about about her father, who has disappeared. But things change when a mysterious visitor appears: a countess with an exotic parrot and seven strange stories. This heart-warming novel – illustrated by Júlia Sardà – is sure to intrigue readers 9 to 11 years old who enjoy stories with a touch of magic.

More stories by Kate DiCamillo

Growing Up Under a Red Flag

Sophie Rosen ,

Compestine, Ying Chang. Growing Up Under a Red Flag: A Memoir of Surviving the Chinese Cultural Revolution. New York: Rocky Pond Books, 2024.
When Ying Chang was three years old, the Chinese Cultural Revolution started and life changed for her family. Her parents were doctors in the city of Wuhan, her father a surgeon and her mother a practitioner of traditional Chinese medicine. At home, they read English books and listened to American radio broadcasts. But in 1966, life became suddenly restrictive. People had to wear uniforms and carry a book of Mao’s teachings. Food was rationed. Neighbours spied on each other. And then Ying Chang’s father was arrested and taken away. For ten long years, Ying Chang and her mother lived in deprivation and fear until finally the revolution was over and her father came home. Ten years after that, she left China to study in America. Illustrated by Xinmei Liu and supplemented by a note from the author, this extraordinary picture book is most highly recommended for readers nine years old and up. An outstanding addition to any collection of books on Chinese history!

More books about China

More picture book memoirs

Teaching a Novel

Sophie Rosen

Two ways to teach a novel study:

• focus on questions and answers (the reading comprehension model)

• focus on reading like an adult (the observe and connect model)

Ever since I was a child in school, I’ve disliked the first method. I was an avid reader and thought that answering questions about a book wrecked the story. If I was reading a nonfiction book, I might repeat information in my head so I would remember it later, but never did I ask myself comprehension questions about novels. So when I became a teacher, I was determined to find a way to teach that was enjoyable. And I did. Well, at least for most students. 

Every class novel is read aloud. I show what I’m observing, and students talk about what they’re observing. Slowly, they learn that reading a novel is a not a test. It’s an experience. 

Once you’ve learned to teach this way, you can pick up any novel and teach it without any prior preparation. No worksheets. No tedious marking of messy answers. Instead, students gain new ways of viewing life and you gain new insight into how they see the world.  It’s fun!  

Learn more with this guide.

What’s the Point of Philosophy?

Sophie Rosen

Atkinson, Sam and others. What’s the Point of Philosophy? New York: DK Publishing, 2022.
What is real? What do I know for certain? How can I tell right from wrong? Should we make things fair? Can a machine think? What makes a good argument? These questions and forty more are presented in this compendium published by a company known for its outstanding nonfiction books for kids. Each question is addressed in small segments across two to four illustrated pages. Supplemented by a timeline of philosophers, a glossary, and an index, this 127-page overview is recommended for readers 11 years old and up. A wonderful resource for thoughtful readers and for teachers who enjoy discussing philosophical topics with their students.
Idea for teachers: let each of your students choose one question, prepare a presentation using the information in the book, and then lead a class discussion.

More books about philosophy