What are some things you do that are good for your mental health?
For me, reading books that are written for grades 3-8 is the perfect way to calm my brain amidst all the craziness going on right now. I love it when authors can write about complex topics in a way that kids can understand. What an amazing talent to have!
Jewell Parker Rhodes and Rebecca Behrens certainly have this talent. I just finished books by these authors and WOW. Just WOW. I could type about 2,000 words to describe each book, but I’ll do my best to tell you about them without taking up your whole day.
Black Brother, Black Brother, by Jewell Parker Rhodes
Brief Summary
Donte is a middle-school student at a private school in suburban Massachusetts. He is the only visibly black student who goes there. Donte’s mom is black and his dad is white. Donte’s brother, Trey, is light-skinned and is adored by everyone at their school. Students and staff often ask Donte, “Why can’t you be more like your brother?”
In the first section (this book gets right into it) the school’s headmaster has Donte arrested for an incredibly minor incident. Donte is handcuffed and led into a police car during dismissal, which means the entire school sees it. He has to spend an evening in jail.
Donte thinks of ways to get back at a classmate named Alan, who makes lots of racist comments to Donte and never gets in trouble for doing so. Donte often gets in trouble for things Alan does, like the one that had Donte in the headmaster’s office at the beginning of the book.
Alan is the captain of the school’s fencing team, so Donte imagines how great it would feel to humiliate Alan by beating him at a fencing bout. Donte has never played a sport before, but he is determined to put in the work.
It is amazing to read about Donte’s transformation as he learns to fence. He loves pushing himself to get in shape. He appreciates having amazing observation skills that help him anticipate moves that his opponent will do before they do them. He enjoys being challenged by opponents who see him as an equal. He makes incredible friends, including a former Olympic fencer who coaches him. By the end of the book, he doesn’t even care about beating Alan. He has made people see him as a smart, hard-working, athletic young man. He has forced people to SEE HIM. The word “see” is important to Donte throughout the book.
Teachable Moments
This book has so many important things for kids to reflect on. In the second section, when Donte’s parents arrived at the police station to get him out of jail, notice how Donte’s dad is treated compared to his mom. Later, when Donte has to appear in front of a judge because of the arrest, notice how the judge’s demeanor changes when he sees Donte’s dad and brother. Even though the complaint against Donte is dropped, Donte still doesn’t feel good about his first experience in a courtroom. Finally, I hope your students see the confidence that Donte gains in himself as he learns how to fence. Hopefully, it will encourage your students to try new things so they can discover talents they didn’t know they had. It’s an amazing way to gain self-confidence.
Things to Keep an Eye On
You may want to tell your students that if they try something new, they may not experience the success Donte had. That doesn’t mean they shouldn’t try! Hopefully, your students notice how Donte felt after he lost his first bout — he felt great! He loved the challenge. The loss made him love fencing even more.
You may also want to make sure your students understand what’s happening during his court hearing because everything happens SO FAST. It is sad that a court hearing, which will have a major impact on Donte’s life, is an experience that happens in a matter of minutes. It’s also sad when the judge reads the complaint against Donte as if it’s 100% fact when it CLEARLY is not! That made me so angry.
Final Grade: A+
A must-read. Period.
Resources
Rhodes includes outstanding discussion topics at the end of the book, but if you need more, I’ve created resources that are available in my TpT store for $4.95. My 11 quizzes and 11 writing prompts are also available in a Google Form.
The Disaster Days, by Rebecca Behrens
Brief Summary
This book reminded me of Hatchet because it involves a young kid who is suddenly thrust into survival mode. Hannah, a 13-year-old girl, lives in a secluded area near Seattle. An earthquake that measures 9.0 on the Richter Scale hits when she is babysitting two kids. With no cell phone service, no electricity, and the threat of aftershocks that can happen at any moment, Hannah has to think quickly to keep everyone safe for several days. Since there are so few people who live in her area, and since transportation into the area isn’t possible, she has to do everything alone. Hannah works hard to keep the kids calm during some of the most stressful situations imaginable, like when a bear walks up to their tent at night. She also has to keep herself calm as she battles asthma attacks without her inhaler. By the end of the book, she has used every ounce of her strength and resourcefulness to lead them to a rescue boat that will get them help.
Teachable Moments
Behrens does a fantastic job of showing Hannah’s inner dialogue. There are several times when Hannah’s mind — understandably — starts imagining worst-case scenarios. “What if our parents were killed in the earthquake?” “What if there’s no way off the island?” She tells herself to “stop spiraling” and adjusts her thinking to things they can do, which is pretty remarkable for a 13-year-old in that situation.
Behrens also shows Hannah process the things she does wrong. At one point, Hannah thinks that she has been more dangerous to the kids than the earthquake has (insert broken-heart emoji here). Thankfully, she works on giving herself credit for the things she has done right, like getting the bear away from their tent in the middle of the night. Hopefully, your students will apply this same attitude when they are feeling critical of themselves. Sure, Hannah makes some mistakes, but she shouldn’t forget about ALL the brave things she does right in an impossible situation.
Things to Keep an Eye On
If any of your students have experienced an earthquake, this book may have some triggering scenes. If any of your students have had to scramble for basic necessities after a natural disaster, like a flood, tornado, hurricane, etc., you may also want to keep an eye on how they react to Hannah and the kids fighting for survival after the earthquake. It may be a good idea to give your students a heads up about some of the things they will read about in this book.
Final Grade: A+
Resources
I’ve created 11 quizzes and 11 writing prompts for this book. This resource is available in my TpT store for $4.95. Everything is available as a Google Form and PDF.
So much for keeping this brief! I hope you can read these books with your students or enjoy them on your own. Kids and adults can certainly benefit from reading books like these.