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conulyhas posted a request for donations to give books to poor Appalachian schoolchildren. Demand has far outstripped their expectations, and the situation is truly dire, with many of their targeted kids stating that they have no books in their home at all. (And in many ways, poverty in rural areas can be worse than poverty in urban areas - no matter how determined you or your parents are, you can't just hop on the subway to go to a museum or library somewhere else if there is nowhere else.)
I am familiar with most of the books on their list, and I think it's a fine collection of "serious" and "just fun" books for fourth graders. Roller Girl in particular is brilliant, and I greatly admire the way the author managed to make all four same-aged female characters into actual, interesting individuals, even the "mean girl" who doesn't get very much screen time. We're not left wondering why Old Best Friend wants to pal around with this other girl.
If I had to make a few suggestions, I might add Unusual Chickens for the Exceptional Poultry Farmer, Oddity, and/or Misadventures of the Family Fletcher* to this list, because I love those books so much. I might also consider How Tia Lola Came to Stay and some age-appropriate graphic novel with a male lead - Mighty Jack, Bone, Cardboard - any of those would be a good choice. But they didn't ask me, and their list is more than adequate.
* However, the author has already posted in her blog how at least one teacher had to pull her class from this project due to one of the author's books having a single gay character - and if it's the one I think it is, let me tell you, your average 10 year old would really have to squint to see that! - so this might not be a great choice for this particular group. Sadly, getting books into hands is more important here than fighting for perfect inclusion.
I am familiar with most of the books on their list, and I think it's a fine collection of "serious" and "just fun" books for fourth graders. Roller Girl in particular is brilliant, and I greatly admire the way the author managed to make all four same-aged female characters into actual, interesting individuals, even the "mean girl" who doesn't get very much screen time. We're not left wondering why Old Best Friend wants to pal around with this other girl.
If I had to make a few suggestions, I might add Unusual Chickens for the Exceptional Poultry Farmer, Oddity, and/or Misadventures of the Family Fletcher* to this list, because I love those books so much. I might also consider How Tia Lola Came to Stay and some age-appropriate graphic novel with a male lead - Mighty Jack, Bone, Cardboard - any of those would be a good choice. But they didn't ask me, and their list is more than adequate.
* However, the author has already posted in her blog how at least one teacher had to pull her class from this project due to one of the author's books having a single gay character - and if it's the one I think it is, let me tell you, your average 10 year old would really have to squint to see that! - so this might not be a great choice for this particular group. Sadly, getting books into hands is more important here than fighting for perfect inclusion.
