Brevard’s Sunshine State Young Readers 6-8

Welcome to Brevard County School’s 6-8 Sunshine State Young Reader’s Blog.

A Special Note

The Sunshine State program is voluntary and intended to promote reading among students in grades 3-8. These titles are selected for their wide literary appeal, variety in genre, connections to the classroom, and multicultural portrayal. Though these titles include a variety of reading levels that students may understand, they do not necessarily reflect the appropriate chronological age, developmental age, maturity level, or family values for all students and are not necessarily recommended for everyone. We encourage parents to read with their children or to pre-read the books since parents know best what their children are ready to read. Students, consider your family values and your own comfort level as you make your selections.

To get started:

1. Select the book you would like to discuss.
2. Read the questions.
3. Click on “comments” to view what others have to say about this book or to write your response.
4. Communicate your thoughts using your best writing. Your teacher may grade your comment.
5. Sign your name like this: firstname + last initial + teacher + period + your school initials.
   Here is an example: SarahTSmith2DMS

Summary

Overextended middle school student, Adam Canfield, decides to add on to his already busy extracurricular schedule by accepting the position of co-editor of the Harris Elementary / Middle school newspaper, The Slash. As Adam and his co-editor Jennifer endure constant challenge from their meddlesome principal, Mrs. Ruth Ellen Marris, they begin to undercover a serious school-wide scandal.

Questions

• Mrs. Marris, the principal of Harris Elementary / Middle School, reserves the right to censor / edit all student news. Do you feel this is her right as a school administrator? Why or why not?

• Adam Canfield is completely overextended with a heavy schedule of extracurricular activities. Often times he struggles to stay on top of things. His family friend Danny feels today’s children are over- programmed with too many pressures placed upon them. Do you agree with this? Why or why not?

• Do you feel Summer Boland’s decision to outlaw accessory structures, such as basketball hoops, from all county properties was fair? If you were a citizen of Tremble County, how would you react?

Note:  This title will not be included in Brevard County’s 6th grade Book Bash events.  It will be included for grades 7-8.

Summary

David, a modern day teenager, interviews Ruben, an elderly neighbor about his experiences during Prohibition. Ruben, who was a young teenager at the time, tells him about finding a dead body on the beach, about police corruption, and about the rum running events that occurred in their small New England town.  As Ruben’s tale unfolds, David learns new truths about the legendary and historical Black Duck boat.
Questions

• In Black Duck, Ruben chooses to avoid becoming a rumrunner despite some pressure from neighbors and friends.  Compare his experiences to the peer pressures that today’s teenagers face.

• Many people of the time supported the crew of The Black Duck and their successful escapes from law enforcement.  Would you classify the crew as heroes or criminals?  Support your answer.

• Prohibition was an attempt to prevent people from purchasing or consuming alcoholic beverages.  Do you agree with these laws, our current laws, or would you support a different set of laws?  Support your answer.

Summary

David, nine, is mourning the loss of his mother who died in a freak accident. He is living with a grandmother and rebuffing her efforts to connect to him when he meets thirteen-year-old Primrose. She is equally determined to have nothing to do with her strange fortune-telling mother. Together, the two meet for late-night adventures in the neighborhood that include hanging out with Refrigerator John, collecting trash, and hunting for night crawlers. Their adventures help them to begin to heal and to deal with the brokenness in their lives.
Eggs are sometimes used as a symbol of new beginnings. They are also breakable. Think about the times that eggs (or egg-like things) appear in the story. What do you think they symbolize? Do you think this is a good title for this book? Explain your answer.

Questions

• David and Primrose are unlikely friends. Think about how they are alike and different. Why do you think they become friends? How do they help each other?

• David and Primrose try to create a world that is not dependent on parents or adult guardians. Are they able to succeed? Does this work for them? Do you think this is what they really want? Explain your answer.

Note:  This title will not be included in Brevard County’s 6th grade Book Bash events.  It will be included for grades 7-8.

Summary

Alfred Kropp has had an extremely unlucky life. He was abandoned by his father, lost his mother to illness, and was forced to move to Tennessee to live with his Uncle Farrell.  When Alfred is dragged into his uncle’s “get rich quick” scheme, he is instantly cast into an adventure filled with modern day knights

Questions

• Alfred’s father hid his existence in order to protect him. Do you think this was the correct thing to do? How would Alfred’s life have changed if he had a personal relationship with his father?

• What life lessons do you think Alfred learned on his quest for Excalibur? How has Alfred changed as a person? How do you think these changes will affect him in the future?

• Why did Bennacio ultimately offer himself to Mogart? Was there anything he could have done to avoid the situation?

Summary

Thirteen year-old Joey Willis is deaf, and her mother refuses to allow her to learn sign language. Joey discovers that Dr. Charles Mansell and his baby chimp, Sukari, live in a house in the woods near her home. Joey begins spending time with them, learning sign language and connecting with Sukari. Dr. Mansell encourages Joey’s mother to allow her to learn sign language, opening up Joey’s world of communication. When Dr. Mansell dies, Joey finds herself thrust into the role of saving Sukari from a medical testing lab.

Questions

• Charlie writes a note to Joey where he says, “Remember all you are unable to do is hear.” Why does he feel he needs to tell her this? Do you think this statement affects decisions she makes later in the story?

• Why does Joey’s mother refuse to allow her to learn sign language in the beginning of the book? Do parents always make decisions that are best for their children? Do they always mean to?

• Sukari is put in a medical testing lab with other chimps where she is treated badly. Is medical testing on animals a necessary evil? Explain your opinion.

Summary

Jeremy Fink’s life is about to take a wild turn. Before his thirteenth birthday, he receives a mysterious package, an engraved box from his late father. As Jeremy and his best friend Lizzy Muldoun begin their quest to find the box’s missing keys, they also unravel the mystery behind the meaning of life.

Questions

• When Jeremy’s father was a young boy, a fortune teller told him that he would not live past the age of 40. How do you think this information influenced how he spent his years? Explain in detail.

• When Jeremy and Lizzy discover that they do not have the keys to the box, they embark on a vast search throughout the city. Do you think their search method was effective? What would you have done differently?

• Do you think Jeremy’s mother should have been honest with him regarding her knowledge relating to the box, or was she correct in remaining quiet and letting him have his adventure? If you were her, what would you have done?

Summary

Joseph Calderaro faces many of the typical middle school dilemmas, but these are compounded when he is assigned to write a heritage essay. As a Korean-born teen in his adoptive, Italian-American family, Joseph struggles to identify with anything he can discover about himself and his true Korean roots. After Joseph’s paper relating a fictional Korean ethnicity is chosen as the winner for the essay contest, he has to decide if he will confess his dishonesty to his teacher, friends, and especially his family.

Questions

• Joseph realizes that locating his Korean birth mother may be more difficult than it seems, and the reader learns that he will one day travel to Pusan with his father in an attempt to locate his birth family. If you were Joseph would you want to make the same attempts? Why or why not?

• Joseph feels embarrassed to wear the “corno” his father gives him as a birthday gift. On page 17, he says, “Wearing that corno seems so dumb. I’m not Italian. Wouldn’t you feel weird if you had to wear a French beret?” Discuss Joseph’s attitude. Do you agree or disagree and why?

• Nash, Yongsu, and Robyn are all friends to Joseph. Using examples from the novel, discuss ways in which Nash, Yongsu, or Robyn demonstrate their friendship and support to Joseph.

Summary

Finn Whitman finds himself in a fantastic adventure when he suddenly awakes to find himself in Disney’s Magic Kingdom after dark. Finn and four other DHIs (Disney Host Interactives using Daylight Hologram Imaging), “cross over” each night and discover their adventure may be more dangerous than they thought. Wayne, a Disney Imagineer, guides the five friends in a battle against Maleficent and the other evil “Overtakers” who want to destroy the Magic Kingdom and more.

Questions

• Finn and the other DHI’s question whether they should continue to battle the “Overtakers” or not. If you were a DHI, would you have agreed to help Wayne? Why or why not?

• In order to “cross over” each night, Finn has to be dishonest with his parents and lie to his mother. Do you think Finn’s lies were unethical? Why or why not?

• In order to successfully struggle with the Overtakers, Finn and the other DHI’s have to trust people such as Wayne and Amanda. If you were one of the DHI’s would you have trusted Amanda and Wayne? Why or why not?

Summary

The town of Patience, Kansas has seen better days. Long-term resident, Jake Waters, is convinced that his town’s problems are a direct result of his great-great grandfather’s cursed toilet plunger’s return to town. Jake’s friendships and relationships are put to the test as he endures everything from hailstorms and tornados to locating buried treasure.

Questions

• Jake’s original vow was to move out of Patience, Kansas as soon as he was old enough. How do his feelings towards Patience change at the end of the book? What do you think causes this change? If you were Jake, would you feel the same?

• How did Jake’s unreasonable fears after the Plunger of Destiny’s return alter his judgment throughout the book? Have you ever been in a situation when you let superstition or fear interfere with your judgment? Explain.

• Marvin Knight deliberately conceals the nitrate pollution caused by his fertilizer / soil farm in the hopes of trying to preserve the town’s employment. Do you think this was the right thing to do? Why or why not?