This document provides information about several middle grade books and resources for teaching them. It includes summaries of Wonder by R.J. Palacio about a boy with facial abnormalities entering school, Quarterback Season by Fred Bowen about a boy keeping a journal about his football team's season, and Okay for Now by Gary D. Schmidt about two unlikely friends in 1968 exploring John James Audubon's art. It also provides links to author websites, discussion guides, and other resources for each book.

1. Sabrina Carnesi Crittenden Middle School, Newport News, VA
2013 VRC FOR MIDDLE
SCHOOL
VAASL York
Regional
March 22, 2013

2. You’ll Like It Here (Everybody Does) by Ruth
White
While Meggie and David Blue are from another planet, they're a lot like
Earth kids, with similar hopes and dreams, and can't wait to grow up.
BUT they also have GROSSLY UNIQUE qualities, such as blue streaks
in their hair that pop up randomly and language skills that sound like
nothing on this planet…

3. Running Themes:
Uniqueness, being different, aliens, oppression, race,
dystopian, coming-of-age, perfection, euthanasia
Author
Contact:
http://www.rut
hwhite.net/
Author’s
Website:
http://www.sch
olastic.com/te
achers/contrib
utor/ruth-white
 Review w/discussion questions -
http://libraryladyhylary.blogspot.com/2011/1
1/youll-like-it-here-everybody-does-
book.html
 Synopsis…The story takes these alien kids, along with their
mother and grandfather, by accident, to a far planet in
which the society is not only oppressive but hostile to
individual freedom. People are kept submissive through
drugs and brainwashing. The Blues, who have spent
time in free societies recognize the upside-down-ness of
this world. They're almost helpless to do anything, but do
what they can, plan their escape, and vow to help others
Fashion City – Controlled by the Fathe

4. The Summer I Learned to Fly by Diana
Reinhardt
Thirteen-year-old Drew starts the summer of 1986 helping in her mother's
cheese shop and dreaming about co-worker Nick, but when her widowed
mother begins dating, Drew's father's book of lists, her pet rat, and
Emmett, a boy on a quest, help her cope.

5. Author Dana Reinhardt’s Website -
http://danareinhardt.net/
 History of Humboldt Fog Cheese
(His Excellence Lord High)
http://laurawerlin.com/american-
cheese-corner-happy-birthday-
humboldt-fog
 Directions for origami paper
cranes
http://www.wikihow.com/Fold-a-
Paper-Crane
 The Warwick Cheese Shoppe
– Newport News, VA
http://www.warwickcheese.com
/
 Picture and List of Gourmet
Cheese types from around the
world - http://www.gourmet-
food.com/gourmet-
cheese/gourmet-cheese-
alphabetically-10081.aspx
 Mice as pets (how to choose a
pet mouse)
http://exoticpets.about.com/cs/
careofmice/a/mousecare.htm
 Supply and Demand

6. It's 1977, and twelve-year-old Ben has recently lost both his
mother and his hearing. He leaves Minnesota for New York City,
hoping to find his long-lost father, and meets Rose, another
seeker, on the way
Wonderstruck by Brian Selznick

7. Book’s Website - http://www.wonderstruckthebook.com/
Author’s
Website -
http://www.t
heinvention
ofhugocabr
et.com/abo
ut_brian_bi
o.htm
 Scholastic Site with Virtual Field Trip to the NYC Natural Museum of
History based on the book’s storyline -
http://www.scholastic.com/teachbrianselznick/assets/video.htm
 Animated ASL Site for practice -
http://www.scholastic.com/wonderstruck/signs.html
 Scholastic Discussion Site w/downloadable guide -
http://www.scholastic.com/teachers/lesson-plan/amazing-world-brian-
selznick-discussion-guide
 Book Browse Questions and guide -
http://www.scholastic.com/teachers/lesson-plan/amazing-world-brian-
selznick-discussion-guide
 Vermont Department of Libraries – Copy / Paste / Download – page 31: -
http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&frm=1&source=web&cd
=11&cad=rja&ved=0CDIQFjAAOAo&url=http%3A%2F%2Flibraries.vermon
t.gov%2Fsites%2Flibraries%2Ffiles%2Fcbec%2FDCFBookReviews%2526
Questions12-
13.pdf&ei=QMJAUZSdDqTb0wGrmoCYDw&usg=AFQjCNGUqEyhisK0p77
DH2jpy8CTrJGNWA&sig2=BEKNqmOWAgDcmjEkNaT89g

8. In the country of Carthya, a devious nobleman engages four orphans in a brutal
competition to be selected to impersonate the king's long-missing son in an effort to avoid
a civil war. One of the orphans is a defiant boy named Sage. As Sage moves from a
rundown orphanage to Conner's sumptuous palace, layer upon layer of treachery and
deceit unfold, until finally, a truth is revealed that, in the end, may very well prove more
dangerous than all of the lies taken together.
The False Prince by Jennifer Nielsen
The
Ascendance
Trilogy
(Volume 1)

9. Book 2 in the
Ascendance
Trilogy
 Mother/Daughter Discussion Questions – Copy-Paste-Download
http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&frm=1&source=we
b&cd=1&cad=rja&ved=0CDUQFjAA&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.scho
lastic.com%2Fmotherdaughterbookclub%2Fpdf%2FScholastic_MDB
C_FalsePrinceQA.pdf&ei=dqc_UcjSO8fM2gX3toHgAg&usg=AFQjCN
EJ1fRQzWJXb0YiDdGtTMMTFzKn4A&sig2=WN2z2z-
cjbc7f2w6lIRFhA&bvm=bv.43287494,d.b2I
 Goodreads Multiple Choice Quiz
http://www.goodreads.com/quizzes/17122-the-false-prince-by-
jennifer-a-nielsen
 Mixed-Up Files Blog
http://www.fromthemixedupfiles.com/2012/04/false-prince-interview-
jennifer-nielsen/

10. When fourteen-year-olds Wren and Darra meet at a Michigan summer camp,
both are overwhelmed by memories from six years earlier when Darra's father
stole a car, unaware that Wren was hiding in the back
Hidden by Helen Frost
Poet
ic

11. Vermont Department of Libraries – Copy – Paste – Download – page 13: -
http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&frm=1&source=web&cd=11&cad=rja&ved=0CDIQFjAAOAo&url=http%3A%2F%2Flibraries.vermont
.gov%2Fsites%2Flibraries%2Ffiles%2Fcbec%2FDCFBookReviews%2526Questions12-
13.pdf&ei=QMJAUZSdDqTb0wGrmoCYDw&usg=AFQjCNGUqEyhisK0p77DH2jpy8CTrJGNWA&sig2=BEKNqmOWAgDcmjEkNaT89g
Author’s
Website
http://www.h
elenfrost.net/
item.php?po
stid=23
 Haywood Union is a site filled with
loads of study guides for middle
school titles, arranged alphabetically
by author’s last name
https://sites.google.com/a/harwood.org
/2012-2013-dcf/home/frost-helen-
hidden
 Lee B. Hopkins Poetry Award
Teaching Toolbox
http://leebennetthopkinsaward.blogspo
t.com/2012/02/2012-honor-book-
hidden.html
Coming Soon--July, 2013

12. Twelve-year-old Chase Masters travels the country with his
father, a "storm runner," but he is tested in ways he never
could have imagined when he and a new friend are caught
in a hurricane near St. Petersburg, Florida.
Storm Runners by Roland Smith

13.  Storm Chasers on Discovery - http://dsc.discovery.com/tv-shows/storm-chasers
 Stormchasers Showcase - http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/imax/stormchasers.html
 33 page guide on author’s curriculum page.
http://www.rolandsmith.com/curriculum.php
 Natural Disasters Requirements for effective Public Service Announcements
Copy/Paste/Download
http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&frm=1&source=web&cd=8&ved=0
CIIBEBYwBw&url=http%3A%2F%2Fchs.smuhsd.org%2Fbigue%2Fart_of_video%2Fi
ndex%2Fdocs%2Fpsa_project.doc&ei=yXNDUcmrIuvi4AOtv4DgCA&usg=AFQjCNG
8vSjaVYBuswPQkR7cZVdTOqbF5g&sig2=K2-
lsHvSlRQMEiLVQLA5UA&bvm=bv.43828540,d.dmQ
 Vermont Department of Libraries – Copy / Paste / Download – page 36: -
http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&frm=1&source=web&cd=11&cad=r
ja&ved=0CDIQFjAAOAo&url=http%3A%2F%2Flibraries.vermont.gov%2Fsites%2Flib
raries%2Ffiles%2Fcbec%2FDCFBookReviews%2526Questions12-
13.pdf&ei=QMJAUZSdDqTb0wGrmoCYDw&usg=AFQjCNGUqEyhisK0p77DH2jpy8C
TrJGNWA&sig2=BEKNqmOWAgDcmjEkNaT89g
Roland Smith’s Website

14. Based on the life of Salva Dut, who, after emigrating
to America in 1996, began a project to dig water
wells in Sudan.
A Long Walk to Water by Linda Sue Park

15. Click on
picture
below to go
to the
author’s
website:
 Quizlet – A Whole Page of Activities including Flashcards
 http://quizlet.com/subject/a-long-walk-to-water/
 Sedgwick Library Media Center Learning Commons –
West Hartford, CT - Resources for School-wide Reading
 http://blog.whps.org/sedgwicklibrary/a-long-walk-to-water/
 http://www.pearltrees.com/#/N-f=1_6064066&N-fa=5304765&N-
p=55744582&N-play=0&N-s=1_6064066&N-u=1_669715
 University of Grassland Press Teacher Notes (pdf
Download – copy/paste link /click for download) This is a
middle school in Australia
 http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&frm=1&source=w
eb&cd=1&ved=0CDUQFjAA&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.uqp.uq.edu.a
u%2Fskins%2Fuqp%2F_uploads%2FTeachersNotes%2FA%2520Long
%2520Walk%2520to%2520Water.pdf&ei=4M8_UYmZC8iu2AWE6
YCQBQ&usg=AFQjCNHoTDqVNJgHGzgRAgshLVRWR7X6aQ&sig2=I
7x9ylmszM8_qV2tpZN6jg&bvm=bv.43287494,d.b2I
Click on the picture to
go to the Water for
South Sudan site./

16. 1968. While Doug struggles to be more than the thug that his teachers and the police
think him to be. He struggles with his family problems, a dad who is abusive, a brother
who is a bully. Doug also has an older brother Lucas, who returns from Vietnam a
different person. Despite all this Doug learns that he can rise above his home situation
and still have a future, especially when he finds an unlikely ally in Lil Spicer, as they
explore John James Audubon's art.
Okay for Now by Gary D. Schmidt

17. The Artic Tern
Author’s
Website:
http://www.h
mhbooks.co
m/schmidt/
 PDF Download: Copy/Paste/Click Download
http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&frm=1&source=web&cd=1&ved=0C
DUQFjAA&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.hmhbooks.com%2Fschmidt%2FOkayForNow-
educatorsguide.pdf&ei=6NI_Ue2FEsej2QXM54CgDA&usg=AFQjCNEVztDGkZ5sU2rIy
_kF27HKn6a_yA&sig2=mhurcu8H82p2anLkedpLMA&bvm=bv.43287494,d.b2I
 Publisher’s Study Guide for Educators
http://www.teachervision.fen.com/literature-guide/printable/69858.html
 Allen Public Library Discussion Questions
http://www.allenfriends.org/allenreads20122013/okayfornowdiscussion.html
 King’s Wing Website
http://suzyred.com/2012-Okay-for-Now.html
 The National Audubon Society
http://www.audubon.org/john-james-audubon
 Apollo 11
 http://www.kidport.com/reflib/science/moonlanding/moonlanding.htm
 Vermont Department of Libraries – Copy / Paste / Download – page 30: -
http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&frm=1&source=web&cd=11&cad=rja
&ved=0CDIQFjAAOAo&url=http%3A%2F%2Flibraries.vermont.gov%2Fsites%2Flibrarie
s%2Ffiles%2Fcbec%2FDCFBookReviews%2526Questions12-
13.pdf&ei=QMJAUZSdDqTb0wGrmoCYDw&usg=AFQjCNGUqEyhisK0p77DH2jpy8CTr
JGNWA&sig2=BEKNqmOWAgDcmjEkNaT89g
John James
Audubon
The Apollo 11 Crew Joe Pepitone
Prof. Gary D. Schmidt

18. Eighth-grader Matt Monroe keeps a journal about his team's football season.
As the fall football season unfolds, the team has more than its share of
surprises and unexpected challenges, as well as plenty of victories and upsets
on and off the field - all of which Matt records and analyzes in a journal he
keeps for his English class. By the last kickoff of the season, Matt has learned
that a team is only as good as the sum of its parts and that playing together is
the only way to win.
Quarterback Season by Fred Bowen
The Fred
Bowen
Sports Story
Series

19. Written in Journal Form / Good for the
Reluctant Readers / Fast Read / Good Role
Models
Instant
Replay by
Green Bay
Packard
Jerry Kramer
 4-page Study Guide that connects to
Common Core Standards
QB Season Writing Lessons - Fred Bowen
 Author’s Website
http://www.fredbowen.com
 Green Bay Packard Jerry Kramer’s
Diary, as mentioned in the story, Instant
Replay (1968)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R2G
DF5uTQjc
 Integrity Book Blog feedback
http://integritybooksforboys.blogspot.co
m/2011/11/quarterback-season-by-fred-
bowen.html

20. Ten-year-old Auggie, born with extreme facial abnormalities,
must struggle with the taunting and fear of classmates as he
enters a private school in Manhattan in an attempt to live a
normal life.
Wonder by R. J. Palacio

21. R. J.
Palacio’s
Webpage:
http://rjpalaci
o.com/index.
html
 Links and support in “Kids” Wing’ site
http://suzyred.com/2013_Wonder.html
 From author’s site
http://rjpalacio.com/for-teachers.html
 Literacy Midsouth Organization
http://www.literacymidsouth.org/our-programs/reading-
campaign/discuss-the-book/
 Random House Guide – download -
/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=wonder%20discussion%20questions&source=web&cd=2&sqi=2&ved=0CDQQFjAB&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.
randomhouse.com%2Fteachers%2Fwp-
content%2F%2Fuploads%2F2012%2F05%2FWonder_EG_WEB.pdf&ei=BstIUaOzLtG14APe24CIBA&usg=AFQjCNE7i8CPr7Y-
SxztA3ZFuHVg_75x6A
 Discussion Questions on About.
http://bestsellers.about.com/od/bookclubquestions/a/Won
der-By-R-J-Palacio.htm
 Take the Choose Kind Pledge Now!
Auggieisms
“Everyone deserves a standing
ovation because we all
overcometh the world."