Joyful Noise: Poems for Two Voices
Author: Paul Fleichman
Genre: Poetry
Plot: This is a collection of animal poems designed to be read by two people
Verdict: Great fun
My rating: 4 stars
In the Beginning: Creation Stories from Around the World
Author: Virginia Hamilton
Genre: Folk Fantasy
Plot: This is a collection of creation stories from different cultures.
Verdict: Interesting read
My rating: 3 stars
Scorpions
Author: Walter Dean Myers
Genre: Realistic Fiction
Plot: Jamal's brother Randy is in jail and Jamal is not sure if he should join the Scorpions gang.
Verdict: Not my type of read
My rating: 2 stars
The first two books from this year are excellent for a teacher to have in his or her classroom. Joyful Noise would make an awesome addition to a poetry unit or for reader's theater. In the Beginning would work well in a folk tale unit and provides the students and opportunity to compare and contrast different stories about the same subject (the creation of the world/man).
Scorpions was a bit of a disappointment for me. I had heard great things about Walter Dean Myers but I just couldn't get into the plot. It's probably a cultural thing but I really don't like literature with gangs and such. I will definitely try reading another of Myers' books because the writing itself was excellent but this plot really didn't appeal to me.
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