The Chronicles of Mrs. Major

  Raid of No Return 1. BIBLIOGRAPHY Hale, N. (2017). Raid of No Return . Amulet Books. ISBN: 978-1-41972-556-2 2.  PLOT SUMMARY Before the entry of the US into World War 2, the United States harshly penalized Japan for its cruel treatment of other countries. In retaliation, the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor thus bringing the United States to declare war. Soldiers were recruited for a secret mission that would not be revealed until they reached their destination. The Doolittle Raid was an air mission to bomb Tokyo and cause instability within the country. They trained tirelessly to be the first Army bombers to take off from a Navy carrier. When the Japanese are alerted to the mission, the Americans must begin the mission early with less fuel and high hopes. Some planes crashed, others were abandoned, and the rest had their occupants ejected out. The story then shifts to survival and escape. In the end, the United States was victorious in bombing Tokyo and weakening the Japanese ...

  Guts 1. BIBLIOGRAPHY Telgemeier, R. (2019). Guts . Graphix. ISBN: 978-1-72542-613-9 2.  PLOT SUMMARY Raina is in 4th grade navigating the world around her. A bout of the stomach bug leads to anxiety and worry that certain foods will make her sick again. When it begins to affect all aspects of her life, her parents have her start therapy. She copes with making comics of her life. When an enemy is hospitalized, Raina realizes that she has stomach issues like her and has a change of heart. Armed with relaxation techniques and medicine, she is ready to tackle middle school.  3. CRITICAL ANALYSIS Raina is the main character and is very relatable to tween girls. She has friendships and arguments just as a typical girl that age. The plot is believable as a typical girl growing up. She has siblings and parents who are all crammed into a small apartment. She battles with stomach issues and anxiety which readers can feel seen with similar ailments. The setting is Raina’s apartmen...

The Crossover 1. BIBLIOGRAPHY Alexander, K. (2019). The Crossover . Houghton Mifflin. ISBN: 978-0-544-10771-7 2.  PLOT SUMMARY Twins Jordan and Josh are basketball stars at their middle school. Their dad is a legendary pro basketball player who is devoted to the boys’ success. A series of events lead to rifts between the twins. Ignored health warnings by their dad led to his untimely death. Jordan and Josh find their way back to each other off and on the court. 3. CRITICAL ANALYSIS The main characters, Josh (aka Filthy) and Jordan (JB) are easily relatable as middle schoolers. They come from a nuclear family. The reader cares about the characters because their love is apparent. The boys are twins who both love basketball and have a retired professional basketball dad. The plot is believable because the day-to-day life is described first person by Josh. Middle school experiences such as friendships, girlfriends, and basketball games will resonate with readers. The brothers have a ri...

When You Trap a Tiger 1. BIBLIOGRAPHY Tae Keller. (2020). When You Trap a Tiger . Random House. ISBN: 978-1-52471-573-1 2.  PLOT SUMMARY Lily, her sister Sam, and their mom are moving in with their sick grandmother who lives out of state. Lily and Sam’s dad died and nothing has been the same. Lily has an “invisible” power which is just being shy. Sam, on the other hand, is outspoken and brash. Going back to Halmoni’s house brings back fond memories of Korean tales and wonderful food. Only they are met with a mere shell of what Halmoni used to be. Lily sees a tiger about which no one else can see. She tells Halmoni who tells Lily about how she stole stories from the tigers and they are trying to find her. Lily uses her inner strength to try to strike a deal with the tiger. The stories will be exchanged for Halmoni’s health. Through all of this, Lily is making new friends, finding her inner strength, and trying to reconnect with her sister.  3. CRITICAL ANALYSIS Tae Keller captu...

  The Wednesday Wars 1. BIBLIOGRAPHY Schmidt, Gary D. The Wednesday Wars . New York Scholastic Inc, 2007. ISBN: 78-0-547-23760-2 2.  PLOT SUMMARY  Holling Hoodhood is the only student in his 7th grade class that is not Jewish or Catholic. He, therefore, must spend Wednesday afternoons with Mrs. Baker reading Shakespeare. When he’s not reading, Mrs. Baker has him completing chores like banging erasers together, taking tests, and cleaning the rat cages. When he goes to transfer the rats back into the cage, they escape into the ceiling where they haunt the school for months to come. His Shakespeare monologues lead to him performing as a fairy in front of classmates. His bully is never far away to take advantage of his misfortunes and tortures him throughout the book. His dad is constantly interrogating him on if he is making a good impression as his architecture clients have ties to the school. Throughout the months Hollings faces situations where he is hated by classmates, ...

  Beyond the Bright Sea 1. BIBLIOGRAPHY Wolk, Lauren. Beyond the Bright Sea . Scholastic, 2019. ISBN: 978-1-10199-487-0 2.  PLOT SUMMARY Crow was found by Osh as a newborn in a skimmer on a tiny island. She grew up being ostracized by everyone because she was thought to come from the island where the lepers were sent. The only other person who would interact with Crow was Miss Maggie who gave her lessons. Crow wants to learn where she’s from and why her parents abandoned her. One evening she spotted a fire on the forbidden Penikese Island and wants to investigate. Osh gives Crow a ring and a ripped note that were found with her the night she washed ashore.  Osh and Miss Maggie accompany her to the island. There is a gamekeeper who is not so friendly. Crow finds clues that match the tattered note given to her the night before. This all leads to letters to the doctor and nurse who helped those on the island, a trip to the orphanage where a boy was sent from Penikese, the re...

  Dash 1. BIBLIOGRAPHY Larson, Kirby. Dash (Dogs of World War II). Scholastic Inc., 2014. ISBN: 978-1-51811-180-8 2.  PLOT SUMMARY Mitsi lives in Seattle during World War II with her family and her dog, Dash. Everything in her life is pretty great until the bombing of Pearl Harbor. Being Japanese-American soon became unfavorable. Her two best friends begin ignoring her, and she is harassed by the kids in her neighborhood. She befriends a neighbor, Mrs Bowker, who helps when some kids are harassing her. Mitsi’s family receives notice that they will be sent to an internment camp with very few belongings and no pets. Mitsi is devastated that she will have to leave Dash behind. She writes to the General in charge in hopes that he will allow Dash to stay with Mitsi.The general writes back that she cannot bring Dash because everyone is making sacrifices. The dreadful day comes when the Kashino family must leave and Mitsi must leave Dash. Life in the camp is crowded and different. Mi...

  The Earth Dragon Awakes: The San Francisco Earthquake of 1906 1. BIBLIOGRAPHY Yep, Laurence. The Earth Dragon Awakes: The San Francisco Earthquake of 1906. Harper Collins, 2006. ISBN: 9780060275259 2.  PLOT SUMMARY  It’s April 18th, 1906 and the earth dragon (earthquakes) has been asleep for over 38 years. It begins with normal activities like Mr. and Mrs. Travis is going to the opera and their son Henry and the house servant’s son, Chin, reading penny dreadfuls in his bedroom. That night when everyone was asleep a devastating earthquake rocked all of San Francisco. Henry and his family struggle to escape their home but fare well with items pulled out into their yard. The whole street has damage to their homes but they all congregate and assist those needing help. Meanwhile in Chinatown, Ah Sing and Chin’s apartment building collapses with them stuck inside. Chin escapes and finds help to remove his father. They are worried about the Travis family so they embark on a tr...