Annotated Book List

Annotated Book List

Reference:	Genre:	Format:	Synopsis:	Rating/Reason:
Anderson, Deborah & Martha Fine. (1986). Jason’s Story. Illustrated by Jeanette Swofford. Minneapolis: Dillon Press, Inc.	Factual	Text and illustrations 47 pages	Jason gets sent to foster home because mother can’t take care of him. Jason has problems dealing with some of his placements. Eventually, mother gets act together and story ends on happy note.	2.5 Liked the book from standpoint that it introduced kids to the subject of foster care. Book seemed a little simplistic for 4-8 grade aged students. Thought the authors could have used a few “older words” relevant to topic.
Berck, Judith. (1992). No Place to Be: Voices of Homeless Children. New York: Houghton Mifflin Company.	Factual	Photographs, children quoted and factual statistics/info included.	Shows how homelessness affects children.	3 – I wondered how out of date the facts are. I don’t know – it was depressing.
Bunting, Eve. (1991). Fly Away Home. New York: Clarion Books	Fiction	32 pages of illustrations (water colors) and text; illustrated by Ronald Himler	A boy and his father live in the airport because they are homeless. They try to go unnoticed, and dream of a life in their own apartment.	5 I really liked this book because of the significance of the bird. The little boy was so happy when the bird finally got out of the airport because that is what he wanted to do.
Bunting, Eve. (1996) Train to Somewhere. New York: Clarion	Fiction	32 pages of illustrations (water colors) and text; illustrated by Ronald Himler	This book is about a young girl who is traveling on an orphan train. She doesn’t think that she will ever be picked as a family, but she dreams of being a part of one.	4 This book allowed me to see the ups and downs that a child must deal with on an orphan train. 3 I thought this book was a little dull after reading the other books. There was a lot of gook info. but no emotional tug. 5 I think this book is good for many ages and has a lot to offer because it gives some accurate feelings about orphan trains. 4 The book had a cute message at the end. I was really hoping Marianne would get at least one family to adopt her. As it turned out, the best happened for everyone.
Coleman, Evelyn. (1996). White Socks Only. Morton Grove: Albert Whitman & Co. Illustrated by Tyrone Geter.	Fiction	Illustrated-oil paints-30 pages	Young African-American girl gets drink from “White’s Only” drinking fountain in Mississippi (around the civil rights movement of the middle part of last century). Many town racists go crazy when they see her do this. Girl didn’t understand why everyone was so angry because she was wearing her “whites” (socks) just like the the sign said. Eventually, the girl is rescued by the town’s resident magicman.	4 I thought this book had a cute message in that children will many times take words at face-value instead of seeing the hate and hostility underneath. This would be a cool book to introduce a unit on racism and other forms of bigotry.
Fleischman, Paul. (1997). Seedfolks. New York: Harper Collins Publishers.	Fiction	Text-69 pages	Members of Cleveland projects plant garden for various personal reasons. Each individual adds their own cultural and ethnic flavor to it.	5+ By far, my favorite book of the bunch. The multicultural aspect was phenomenal; as was how the author layered each person’s story over the others. I definitely recommend this book to teachers and anyone looking for a good, quick read.
Franklin, Kristine, McGirr, Nancy. (1995). Out of the Dump: Writings and Photographs by Children from Guatemala. New York: Lothrop, Lee & Shepard Books.	Factual	Picture book. Photographs and text written and taken by children themselves.	A moving story of one lady who began taking pictures of children in the dumps of Guatemala. Because of her concern for the children, she began teaching photography to them.	5 This was a book that touched the heart in every way. 5 This was a powerful book. It showed me that one person can make a difference. 4 This book really tugged my heartstrings. It was interesting to see the different views of the culture as portrayed by the children. 5 The most moving book I read for this assignment. It really opens your eyes to the hardships many families/kids experience (e.g. poverty) on a daily basis.
Fry, Annette. (1994). The Orphan Trains. New York: New Discovery Books	Fact	84 pages of factual writing with photos and pictures periodically.	This book is about the children on the streets. It talks about how Charles Brace started the Children’s Aid Society to help them. It then proceeds to talk about the orphan trains.	3 Although this book was factual and I learned a lot, I had a hard time keeping my interest level up. 5 This book gives a lot of detailed information regarding the orphan trains. 4 Great for anyone doing a historical account of the subject. Numerous photos and stories make this an essential resource for teachers. Only drawback is that the book might get a bit boring for younger kids in some parts.
Hall, Lynn. (1986). Mrs. Potree’s Pony.	Fiction	Chapter book. No pictures.	Addie’s mother is divorced and has remarried a man who does not want Addie to live with them so Addie lives with her mother’s high school friend. Addie befriends an elderly lady who has a horse that she lets Addie ride. Addie ends up living with the elderly lady; she feels loved by this woman.	2 I find the authenticity of this book hard to believe, but I guess this story could happen in real life. I was really angry at Addie’s mom for wanting a man over her daughter! I’m not sure this book sends a good message to children. If the ending were different and the mother got her act together, it would give the children a better example of how a mother should treat her child.
Lowery, Linda. (1995). Somebody Somewhere Knows My Name. Minneapolis: Carolrhoda Books	Fact	38 pages of illustrations and text; illustrated by John Karpinski	This book is about two siblings whose mother leaves them at a gas station. They have been through an extremely rough life, and they have trouble dealing with the events that come their way.	5 This was my favorite of all the books I read. I was so touched by the angel who gives you a name story. I would recommend this book to anyone.
MacLachlan, Patricia. (1982). Mama One, Mama Two. Illustrated by Ruth Lercher Bornstein. New York: Harper & Row, Publishers.	Fiction	Illustrated – drawings - 28 pages.	A young child lives with a foster mother until her birth mother recovers from depression.	4 – I liked it because at the end she was still with Mama 2 and I thought through the book that she had made it back to Mama 1. It was honest
Nixon, John Lowery. (1998). Orphan Train Children: Aggie’s Home. New York: Delacorte Press	Fiction	116 pages of text, chapter book	This story is about a girl named Aggie who wants nothing more than to be part of a family. She has a hard time excepting the fact that her mother is not coming for her. When reading, you travel with her on the orphan train to her new home.	4 I liked this book. Even though it was fiction, the scenes seemed pretty authentic. It made me realize what a child in a new family goes through.
Nixon, Joan. (1998). Will’s Choice (Orphan Train Children Book Series). New York: Delacorte Press.	Fiction	Chapter book120 pages.	Will is sent on orphan trains because his circus star father can no longer care for him. Will is placed with a loving doctor and his family, but never forgets about getting back with his dad. One day, the circus comes into town, and Will has the chance to live with his father again. In the end, Will decides to stay with the doctor because it would be the for the best in the long run.	3.5 Thought the book had a decent storyline, but it was extremely far-fetched. Would be a wise choice to give a student who doesn’t like to read the dryer factual books on the orphan trains. I would use caution, however, because the book is ridiculous in some parts.
Nixon, John Lowery. (1998). Orphan Train Children: Lucy's Wish. New York: Delcorte.	Fiction			2 Kind of hokey. I wasn't sure how realistic this would be and I just couldn't get into it.
Nixon, John Lowery. (1998). Orphan Train Children: David’s Search. New York: Delcorte. Cover illustration by Lori Early.	Historical Fiction	Chapter book. No pictures except at the top of each chapter heading.	This book is about a boy, David, who is adopted by a very stingy old couple. The story tells of the struggles David encounters as he tries to adjust to his new home.	4 This is a good story to show children the reality of how hard it was for many children to adjust to their new homes. It also sheds light on the fact that not every adoptive parent was kind.
Nixon, John Lowery. (1988). The Orphan Train Quartet-In the Face of Danger. New York: Bantam Books.	Fiction	Text-151 pages.	Megan’s family is separated by poverty and she rides the train. She finds out a lot about herself with her new family on the Kansas prairie.	4 -good read- It kept me interested the whole way through.
Pendergraft, Patricia. (1991). As Far As Mill Springs. New York: Philomel Books.	Fiction	Chapter book. No photos.	This book is about an orphan boy who lived during the depression. He is put in the care of cruel foster parents so he runs away. He is determined to find his real mother. Along the way, he encounters adventures and befriends special people.	3 ½ - 4 This book was very sad. It reminded me of how I felt when I read The Grapes of Wrath; it just couldn’t get any worse and yet it does. I was not aware that there were so many homeless children during the Depression. I really liked how the author vividly portrayed the effects of “small” acts of kindness. We all can affect someone by being kind.
Thesman, Jean. (1992). When the Road Ends. Boston: Houghton Mifflin	Fiction	184 pages of text, chapter book	This book is about three children who are in a foster home. They are told that they can’t stay there during the summer so they have to stay in a cabin with a babysitter. You will join the children in the adventure of trying to stay together as a “family.”	4 I really liked this book, but I didn’t feel that it was authentic. I’m not sure how much I learned from it, but it was enjoyable reading.
Warren, Andrea. (1996). Orphan Train Rider: One Boy’s True Story. Boston: Houghton Mifflin	Fact	72 pages of text with some photos included	This book is about a boy’s challenge to keep in touch with his family. Some siblings traveled on the orphan train and some didn’t. Will Lee ever see his brothers and sisters again?	4 I learned a lot from this book. It presented facts in a unique way that kept the attention level high. 5 The story of Lee Nailing is a remarkable one. Warren writes with clarity and strikes her readers deep with vivid emotion. 5 This book was a good blend of facts and personal reflection along with photographs. 4 Liked how the author blended Lee’s story with some historical data of the times. It was a clever way to explain Lee’s story better (e.g. what the climate was at the time).

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