ABC Books Not just for Preschoolers!

Fancy Nancy's "ABC format" gets kids excited about using fancy words! Each page is a different letter of the alphabet, illustrating something feminine and girlie! The letter A is represented by "accessories." B teaches them about frilly "boas," (not the reptile kind). A child-friendly definition is provided, as well as a sentence or two in which she uses her fancy word. Illustrations are detailed and appealing. You cannot read the book without smiling.

I love using ABC books with students of all ages! Kids can borrow this format to create their own ABC books around their favorite topic. Teachers can have students make class alphabet books to demonstrate comprehension. I have had upper elementary students make alphabet books after reading about Johnny Appleseed or US history. ABC books come in a multitude of topics from Alaska to superheros and penguins to New Zealand, but Fancy Nancy is my favorite because she explicitly illustrates to kids that they should think carefully about the words they choose and that fancy words are the best kind!

A great YA book (or one for adults who like teen books!)

Graceling by Kristin Cashore
In Graceling, Cashore has created a feudal world with an interesting infusion of magic. Some people in this world are born with a grace which is an extreme, magical talent. The main character’s grace is fighting and killing people. She was fostered to her uncle, the local overlord, who used her as a bully to keep the peasants and farmers in line. The crux of the story begins when she escapes her uncle’s influence and begins to establish her own identity, including how she will use her grace for good, rather than for bullying. I particularly enjoyed this YA novel because of the ways in which the main character works to disrupt the cultural gender stereotypes in her world. While I read this book for my own reading pleasure, not because I can use it in my elementary teaching context, I believe that middle and high school readers would relate to the teen characters in the book.