middle grade Archives - Page 327 of 329

The Art of the Possible: An Everyday Guide to Politics
by Edward Keenan (Author), Julie McLaughlin (Illustrator)

Booktalk: We all know what a politician looks like, right? They’re old people who wear suits and make long, boring speeches full of indecipherable words. Ah, not so fast! This book presents another view, where everyone is a politician — even young people who aren’t yet eligible to vote. So what is politics, and why do we need it? Find out why we form societies and the basic types of governments. Explore the power of public opinion, methods of rhetoric, and the reasons why politicians “lie.”

Snippet:
What is politics, anyway?
Politics is how we decide to do things together as a group or society. In a society, we have to make rules, pick projects to work on, divide up the workload, and share things. And politics is how we do that.

Six Traits Mini Lesson

Trait: Organization Just in time for the political season, this informational book introduces the idea that everyone is a politician, even the tweens and teens who are reading the book! It does that by beginning at the beginning. An informational book begins by explaining the premise and defining the topic. One of the subheads in the book’s introduction says:

What is politics, anyway?

After asking this question, the book immediately provides an answer.

Politics is how we decide to do things together as a group or society.

The answer in the first sentence adds a new term, society. What a society does is explained in the second sentence.

In a society, we have to make rules, pick projects to work on, divide up the workload, and share things.

The paragraph ends with a summary statement.

And politics is how we do that.

In three sentences, the topic is defined and key details are added.

It’s Nonfiction Monday!

Lilliput
by Sam Gayton (Author) and Alice Ratterree (Illustrator)

Booktalk: Have you heard of the tale that’s short and tall? There’s an island in the world where everything is small! She is a girl three inches tall with eyes like drops of dew. Her clothes are cut from handkerchiefs and stitched with spider silk. For half her life, she has been trapped in a birdcage while her giant kidnapper sits beside her, writing in a leather-bound book the size of a house. Her name is Lily, and tonight she is escaping. She is going home. To Lilliput.

Inspired by Gulliver’s Travels, Lilliput is an exhilarating adventure filled with cunning escape plans, evil clock makers, and talkative parrots. Join Lily as she travels through 18th century London over rooftops, down chimneys, and into chocolate shops on a journey to find the one place in the world where she belongs…home.

Snippet: Lily tucked the atlas into one of the saddle pockets and hurried forward, past a teetering stack of old clocks. Somewhere at the other end of the counter, Swift called out for help.

“Skee! Skee! Skee!”

“Hold on!” she called out, trying to calm him. “I’m almost there! Just a little longer . . .”

Six Traits Mini Lesson

Traits: Sentence Fluency In this escape story, the sentences are detailed and action-packed. The main character is on the move and the sentences reflect that.

In the first sentence, the main character does two very different things.

Lily tucked the atlas into one of the saddle pockets

That’s the first action, but the writer adds more:

and hurried forward, past a teetering stack of old clocks.

The forward motion in this escape story continues in the next sentence:

Somewhere at the other end of the counter, Swift called out for help.

Now Lily has yet another reason to keep running.

“Hold on!” she called out, trying to calm him. “I’m almost there!

And we keep running too. We turn the page to find out what happens next!