Realisitic Fiction

Title:  Rules

Author: Cynthia Lord 

Awards: Newbery Honor Book, Schneider Family Book Award

Published: 2006

Genre: Realistic Fiction 

It's hard enough to be yourself and know your place when growing up, but imagine feeling like you need to constantly protect your sibling. Catherine just wants to be "normal" but knows that will never happen because her brother has autism. This book takes you through her emotions as she tries to lead and guide her brother David with "rules". Catherine feels alone during the summer when her best friend goes to California to visit her dad. She has some high hopes when she learns a girl her age is moving next door. She then struggles with being her self or being who she thinks the girl wants her to be. She also meets a boy named Jason who in the end helps her realize you need to accept who you are and just be yourself. This book would be perfect for not only a student who has a special needs relative but has any sort of sibling. I would recommend this for students 9 and up due to the maturity of some of the topics about bullying and fitting in. As I was reading this I wasn't necessarily thinking about my personal students who would enjoy it but about my friend who teaches resource and specializes in working with students with Autism. I will definitely recommend this book to her and to the families in which she works with. Cynthia Lord does a great job explaining the struggles the character Catherine is going through. It's hard to balance knowing why your sibling gets more attention but wanting to be "seen" yourself and this book illustrates that very well. I think this is a great book for parents to read who have more than one child with a special needs child in the house to remember the importance of spending time with all of your children.

Title:  Those Shoes 

Author: Maribeth Boelts Illustrated by Noah Z. Jones  

Awards: N/A 

Published: 2009

Genre: Realistic Fiction Picture Book 

I work at a school that has some strange demographics. We are considered a Title 1 school and have multiple students who need assistance every morning with things such as brushing their teeth and combing their hair, but we also have some students whose parents are pretty wealthy and never wear the same outfit more than twice the entire year. I can't wait to bring this book into my classroom. This book can relate to every one of my students but I would use it mainly with first and second graders. 

In the book a boy who lives with his grandma dreams about wearing the newest, coolest shoes on the market. Unfortunately his grandma is doing the best she can and can't afford to spend money on "wants" when they have things they need. As more and more boys at school show up in these new shoes, this character becomes more and more desperate. One day at kickball his shoes break and he has to wear shoes that the counselor had in a box for kids who need things. When he returns to class everyone laughs besides a boy named Antonio who also doesn't have the new shoes. Grandma comes up with some extra money but not enough to buy "those shoes" so they look at the thrift shops where he finds them! Except they are too small but he buys them anyways. This character begins playing with Antonio and realizes his feet are smaller than his and he has tape holding his shoes together also. The character struggles with the idea of giving up his dream shoes but eventually does and loves the look on Antonio's face when he comes to school wearing them. In the end it begins to snow and all the boys have to change out of their shoes into boots and the character realizes the shoes didn't really matter anyways. 

I have students who will relate to the main character. They really want what others have but know they can't afford it. They get really excited when they get it but it's not 100% what they expected. I have students who will relate to Antonio who are sweet students who understand what others are going through and will defend them until the end and are extremely appreciative of everything they receive. And I have students who will relate to the boys who have the shoes right away and this book can help them see that not everyone can have what you have and it's not their fault. They can see the struggle and how it hurts when someone makes fun of them for it. 

The illustrations in this book are incredible. Noah Z. Jones does a great job of showing the emotions of the characters on each page. He also adds great details to the pictures which makes you understand what the characters are going through and how they are living or getting by.