Milo and Jazz Mysteries: The Case of the Stinky Socks
© 2009 by Amy Wummer.

Mysteries provide a perfect entree for exploring a wide variety of critical thinking skills. With their emphasis on clear observation, logical thinking, and well-drawn conclusions, mysteries support many Common Core State Standards (CCSS). They also lend themselves to an array of interesting writing assignments, an important component of the CCSS and one on which many states are placing particular emphasis.

This month’s column features some of our favorite mysteries, along with ideas for expanding the learning possibilities presented by each title and/or series. Employing the Common Core State Standards doesn’t mean that learning can’t be fun. Kids love mysteries, so why not use them to teach new skills in thinking, researching, and writing? We guarantee that these titles will spark student interest.

Elementary School

A to Z Mysteries, Books D-G (The Deadly Dungeon, The Empty Envelope, The Falcon’s Feathers, The Goose’s Gold). Written by Ron Roy. Narrated by David Pittu. 3 CDs. 3:25 hrs. Listening Library. 2005. ISBN 978-0-3072-0735-7. $30. K-Gr 3
From A to Z, these beginning chapter book mysteries maintain a comfortable format with each audiobook combining three or four stories from the series. Each “case” title is a letter of the alphabet and continuity is nicely incorporated with Pittu narrating them all. His conversational and friendly voice fits the pacing as Dink, Josh, and Ruth Rose band together to solve each case. Listeners will be asking for all the letters of the alphabet.

Common Core Standard: CCSS.ELA-Literacy.SL.1.2 Ask and answer questions about key details in a text read aloud or information presented orally or through other media.

Instructional Extension: Connecting the theme or subject of a story to research can strengthen both the listening experience and learning. For example, to discover more about the birds in The Falcon’s Feathers, use the Cornell Lab of Ornithology’s All about Birds website (www.allaboutbirds.org). Enter the search term “falcon” to find information about the peregrine falcon, gyrfalcon, and prairie falcon.

Encyclopedia Brown Finds the Clues. Written by Donald Sobol. Narrated by Greg Steinbruner. 2 CDs. 1:18 hrs. Recorded Books. 2007. ISBN 978-1-4281-7221-0. $25.75. Gr 3-5

This title, one in the classic series about 10-year-old detective Leroy “Encyclopedia” Brown, features ten new cases for the Idaville mystery solver. Encyclopedia, his police chief dad, and his group of friends follow the trail of each case to its satisfying end. The familiar format of presenting clues for listeners to put together gives opportunities for thinking and problem solving. Steinbruner’s pacing is comfortable, highlighting the simple sentences and pausing before each solution to build suspense,

Common Core Standard: CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.3.9 Compare and contrast the themes, settings, and plots of stories written by the same author about the same or similar characters.

Instructional Extension: The University of North Carolina’s excellent Learn NC website (www.learningnc.org/lp/pages/3031) offers several activities to enliven lesson plans for the first book in this series, Encyclopedia Brown, Boy Detective. The rubric for a good mystery story and the Mystery Worksheet are adaptable to any book in the series and provide a jumping-off point for writing projects.

The Great Cake Mystery: Precious Ramotswe’s Very First Case: A Number 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency Book for Young Readers. Written by Alexander McCall Smith. Narrated by Adjoa Andoh. CD. 1 hr. Listening Library. 2012. ISBN 978-0-4490-1142-3. $15. K-Gr 3

Intrepid female detective, Precious Ramotswe, is introduced here as a child, solving her first case. Andoh’s excellent narration presents the lilt, cadence, and authenticity of Botswana culture. Adult fans of the well-known #1 Ladies Detective Agency will be listening along to find out how Precious came to become a world-famous detective. Sure to provide fun for family and classroom audiences.

Common Core Standard: CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.3.2 Recount stories, including fables, folktales, and myths, from diverse cultures; determine the central message, lesson, or moral and explain how it is conveyed through key details in the text.

Instructional Extension: Classroom discussion and research about Botswana could follow listening to this mystery. Facts and information about the country can be found in many online encyclopedias, books, and the Botswana embassy website (www.botswanaembassy.org) where the country’s history, a video gallery, and visitor attractions are included. Students may choose one topic to share with the class to highlight any study about Africa.

Milo and Jazz Mysteries: The Case of the Stinky Socks. Written by Lewis B. Montgomery. Narrated by Chantale Hosein and Vinnie Penna. CD. 48 min. Live Oak Media. 2012. ISBN 978-1-4301-1199-3. $15.95. K-Gr 3

Milo has just received his Dash Marlow Super Sleuth kit when he discovers his first mystery. Working, somewhat reluctantly, with new neighbor Jazz, these two young detectives set out to determine who stole Jazz’s brother’s lucky socks from his high school locker. The pair use their critical thinking skills to find the socks before the big baseball game. Penna and Hosein’s performances are appropriately young and their pacing heightens the tension and excitement of this first mystery in Montgomery’s series.

Common Core Standard: CCSS.ELA-Literacy. RL.2.1 Ask and answer such questions as who, what, where, when, why, and how to demonstrate understanding of key details in a text.

Instructional Extension: Dash Marlow instructs his followers to use these “Super Sleuthing Skills: Observe, Think Logically, Draw Conclusions.” A fun writing project can be built around any one of the “Milo and Jazz Mysteries” by using flow maps to organize the sequence of events with the goal of producing a summary of the story that includes at least three details from the book to answer the questions posed in the standard.

Middle/High School

The Case of the Case of Mistaken Identity. Written by Mac Barnett. Narrated by Arte Johnson. 3 CDs. 2:55 hrs. Listening Library. 2010. ISBN 978-0-3077-1042-0. $30. Gr 4-6

When 12-year-old Steve Brixton, a fan of Bailey Brothers detective novels, is mistaken for a real detective, he must elude librarians, police, and the mysterious Mr. E as he seeks a missing quilt containing coded information. Arte Johnson gives Steve’s predicament a matter-of-fact, almost sardonic tone, with methodical pacing and understatement that provides listeners with laugh-out-loud enjoyment of this wholly improbable story. Fans will also enjoy the other titles in this series, The Ghostwriter Secret and It Happened on a Train, also available from Listening Library.

Common Core Standard: CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.5.7 Compare and contrast stories in the same genre (e.g., mysteries and adventure stories) on their approaches to similar themes and topics.

Instructional Extension: Visit this go-to website that provides thorough information and multiple ideas for classroom extensions as well as descriptions of mystery series, novels, and picture books: Carol Hurst Children’s Literature—Mysteries in the Classroom Fiction, Non-Fiction and Activities for Pre-School through Ninth Grade (www.carolhurst.com/subjects/mysteries.html).

Pair the following two titles for an interesting comparison of Victorian and contemporary girl sleuths:

The Case of the Missing Marquess, an Enola Holms Mystery. Written by Nancy Springer. Narrated by Katherine Kellgren. 4 CDs. 4:31 hrs. Recorded Books. 2006. ISBN 978-1-4193-8985-6. $51.75. Gr 5-8

Smart and resourceful, 14-year-old Enola is determined to avoid the finishing school her older brothers, Mycroft and Sherlock, have selected for her when her mother suddenly vanishes. Setting off for London on a bicycle, Enola stumbles upon another missing person’s case—a young marquess who seems to have been kidnapped. Kellgren delves into this adventure with her customary gusto and superb pacing, providing a host of excellent 19th-century character voices. Lucky for listeners, this is just the beginning of a long series, all narrated by the incomparable Kellgren.

The London Eye Mystery. Written by Siobhan Dowd. Narrated by Paul Checquer. AudioGo. 2010. ISBN 978-1-4056-5462-3. $25. Gr 6-10

Ted’s cousin Salim comes to visit from Manchester before moving to New York with his mother, and Salim’s only wish is to ride the London Eye, the massive wheel erected to mark the new millennium. Ted (whose brain is “wired differently”) and his older sister Kat watch Salim board the Eye and are stunned when he doesn’t get off. What follows is an intricate, intriguing, and thrilling race against time as Ted uses his keen observation skills to find his cousin. Checquer’s measured pacing accurately portrays Ted’s personality and reinforces the family conflicts, and his variety of British accents provides context for American listeners.

Common Core Standard: CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.7.3 Analyze how particular elements of a story or drama interact.

Instructional Extension: After listening to this mystery, students may be interested to learn more about “Interesting Things You Never Knew about The London Eye” by visiting http://ow.ly/gHXMI. The LondonNet site (http://ow.ly/GHXEM) not only includes facts, but also provides links to other London attractions such as the Tower of London. This is a good place to start a class project investigating London’s most important historical places.

The Red Blazer Girls: The Ring of Rocamadour. Written by Michael D. Beil. Narrated by Tai Alexandra Ricci. 6 CDs. 7 hrs. Listening Library. 2009. ISBN 978-0-7393-7960-8. $50. Gr 4-6

Three friends attending the all-girls Catholic school, St. Veronica’s, become embroiled in a mystery of major proportions when they try to help a strange older woman who lives next to the church. A precious artifact has gone missing and the girls must use their best math and language skills to discover its whereabouts and expose the villain. Ricci personifies the voices of the young sleuths and creates believable voices for the supporting characters. Listeners may want to follow along with or refer to the print edition to see the graphs, charts, and other puzzles that serve as clues. Three more mysteries featuring these girl detectives provide additional fun.

Common Core Standard: CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.6.2 Determine a theme or central idea of a text and how it is conveyed through particular details; provide a summary of the text distinct from personal opinions or judgments.

Instructional Extension: Girl detectives are an interesting group, from the classic Nancy Drew to Harriet the Spy to the young women in the previous two examples. Students can prepare a chart to compare and contrast the similarities and differences between girl and boy detectives in their methods of solving cases, leading to an interesting writing project.

Sharon Grover is Head of Youth Services at the Hedberg Public Library, Janesville, WI. Lizette (Liz) Hannegan was a school librarian and the district library supervisor for the Arlington (VA) Public Schools before her retirement. They are co-authors of Listening to Learn (ALA Editions, 2011).

With the focus on nonfiction, educators around the country have been asking for direction as they implement the goals of the Common Core initiative. A number of useful guides are available to assist those developing lists of retrospective titles. Librarians and teachers seeking fresh material to enhance their collections can continue to look to Curriculum Connections, and this column, as they move forward.

Each month “Nonfiction Notes” will highlight a few titles publishing that calendar month—books that  have caught our eye and display the hallmarks of quality nonfiction: accuracy, cohesiveness, lively writing, and an interesting approach, along with support materials in the form of informative illustrations, primary resources, author and source notes, and lists of further reading. We’ll be on the lookout particularly for books that offer unique perspectives, ask readers to consider multiple points of view, and generate conversation, as well as titles that will encourage more nonfiction leisure reading. On occasion, a fiction title may slip in—one that offers a perfect complement to a nonfiction study.

Here are some of our favorites publishing this month:

JAN 2013

Bolden, Tonya. Emancipation Proclamation: Lincoln and the Dawn of Liberty. (Abrams, 2013; Gr 5-10). This year marks the 150th anniversary of the signing of the Emancipation Proclamation. In this beautifully designed volume, Bolden tells the story of the document through the events and the work of individuals-citizens, soldiers, politicians, and abolitionists-that led to its eventual adoption. Reproductions of engravings, maps, paintings, and documents, and black-and-white archival photos, as well as the inclusion of well-chosen detailed captions, quotes, and primary sources enrich the text. Don’t miss the photo of Harriet Tubman in her nineties on page 94. See Vicki Reutter’s article “Whiskers, Dreams, and Grave-Robbing Schemes” in this issue of Curriculum Connections for more information about this and related titles.

Brown, Don. Henry and the Cannons: An Extraordinary True Story of the American Revolution. (Roaring Brook, 2013; Gr 2-5). In 1775, outside of Boston, MA, General George Washington fretted as the British occupied the city. Without cannons his troops had little chance against the crown’s soldiers. In stepped Henry Knox, a Boston Patriot and bookseller, who, despite preferring “a good meal to a good fight” was willing to trek 300 miles to Fort Ticonderoga, NY, to retrieve a cache of weapons captured earlier that year. A remarkable story of an indomitable spirit and an improbable winter journey over icy waterways and snow-covered mountains with 58 cannons in tow. Don Brown’s illustrations add information–and a touch of humor.

Bryant, Jen. A Splash of Red: the Life and Art of Horace Pippin. (Random House, 2013; Gr 2- 5). From an early age, Horace Pippin drew–he drew through his school years, his first jobs, in the trenches of World War I, and later, when he returned to the states, but it wasn’t until he was in his forties that this self-taught artist painted his first canvas. Delightfully detailed mixed-media illustrations by Melissa Sweet, winner of the NCTE 2012 Orbis Pictus Award for Outstanding Nonfiction for Children (Balloons over Broadway, HMH) and a Caldecott Honor winner, illustrate the book. Historical and author and illustrator notes, complete the volume. Other recent titles offering ample opportunities for comparison to Splash of Red include Done Tate’s It Jes’ Happened: When Bill Traylor Started to Draw (Lee & Low, 2012) and Chuck Close: Face Book (Abrams, 2012) by the artist. Beyond the images, students will want to discuss the distinct challenges these artists faced as they pursued their art.

Fradin, Judith Bloom & Dennis Brindell Fradin. The Price of Freedom: How One Town Stood Up to Slavery. illus. by Eric Velasquez. (Bloomsbury, 2013; Gr 3-6) In the mid-1800s Oberlin, OH, was a stop on the Underground Railroad and the home of a number of former slaves. This stirring story recounts the rescue of John Price in 1856 from slave hunters by its citizens. Mixed-media paintings, in shadowy deep blues, impart a sense of the danger and clandestine nature inherent in travel along the Underground Railroad. When an Ohio court upheld the legality of the Fugitive Slave Act, the 37 men involved in what came to be known as the Oberlin-Wellington Rescue were jailed. A photo of this remarkable group, as well as author notes, are included.

Halperin, Wendy Anderson. Peace. (S & S, 2013; Gr 2-8 ) What is peace? And how do we have meaningful conversations about it with children? Through a circular text (“For there to be peace in the world…”) and spreads featuring a kaleidoscope of pastel images of children at work, play, school, and home, Halperin explores the concept. Each page incorporates quotes from around the world and through time from Jimi Hendrix’s “When the power of love overcomes the love of power, the world will know peace” to Albert Camus’s “Peace is the only battle worth waging.” Writing extension possibilities abound. Perfect for sharing on International Day of Peace (September 21) or any day.

Stone, Tanya Lee. Courage Has No Color: The True Story of the Triple Nickles America’s First Black Paratroopers. (Candlewick, 2013; Gr 6 Up). In this title, Stone, the author of the Robert F. Sibert Medal winner, Almost Astronauts: 13 Women Who Dared to Dream (2009; both Candlewick), examines the training of and discrimination endured by the African American servicemen chosen under the World War II directive to establish black aviation units. Archival photos and fascinating author notes provide insight into a Stone’s research and what she discovered along the way. You’ll find an interview with the author in this issue of Curriculum Connections.

And don’t miss…Michael J. Rosen’s Sailing the Unknown: Around the World with Captain Cook (Creative Editions, 2012; Gr 2-5). It didn’t take me long to mention a fiction title in this column (and a 2012 one at that), but clearly this picture book is one everyone will want on their shelves when the topic of exploration comes up. The story follows 11-year-old Nicholas Young as he travels with James Cook on the HMS Endeavour. Little is known about the actual boy, who was responsible for caring for the ship’s goat. The text, which takes the form of brief journal entries, charts the ship’s progress and life onboard an 18^th century vessel. Natural discussion prompts include point-of-view, exploration, and historical re-creation. Fluid watercolor scenes by Maria Cristina Pritelli take a birds-eye-view onto busy ports, exotic island locales, and the ship’s deck, and readers will enjoy trying to spot this engaging fellow who sports a red-and-white striped jersey reminiscent of another favorite fictional character.

When teachers and librarians consider instructional strategies to improve students’ ability to read nonfiction, they often start with text features. Text features are a central component of book construction, but understanding how they work is not the ultimate goal. Teachers also ask students to consider text structures, the larger format or outline with which the book is written. Text structures are important when considering how a book is constructed, but an understanding of text structures is not the ultimate goal, either. The goal is to teach children how the different elements of a nonfiction book work together to contribute to the overall meaning.

Text Types and Structures of Nonfiction Text

If students are unfamiliar with nonfiction texts, they may assume that every nonfiction book serves the same function. This is not the case. Different types of nonfiction books serve varied purposes. Having an understanding of what those purposes are can help students understand why an author selected a particular structure for the book, and how the two work together to create meaning.

The most common form of nonfiction is the survey, which provides an overview on a topic. Surveys often have nouns as their title. Think “Snakes” or “Africa.” Because there are so many of these books in school libraries, students may expect every nonfiction book to do what a survey does. Students need to know that concept books focus on abstract ideas or classifications, such as life cycles; that specialized nonfiction dives deeply into a precise topic and may draw on primary and secondary source material; and that biographies focus on the life of one or several people.

Identifying the type of book they are about to read can help students develop an understanding of each type’s common traits. When students know what type of nonfiction book they are about to read, they have a sense of the book’s purpose, and can anticipate the range of material within its pages.

Just as there are different kinds of nonfiction texts, there are different types of text structures. Exposition is the most common type, often found in surveys, as it introduces a topic and divides it into subtopics. But some nonfiction titles employ narration, choosing to tell a story. Nonfiction picture storybooks are an example of this, but nonfiction chapter books can also adopt this approach. At times nonfiction takes a linear or chronological structure, and at other times, an external sequence is used, such as the alphabet or numbers, days of the week, or months of the year. Compare-and-contrast, question-and-answer. and problem-solution are other familiar structures.

Having conversations with children about identifying the text type and purpose of a book, as well as its overall structure, will allow them to better understand how print and visual components of a book work together to convey meaning. These conversations will also aid in understanding how the components contribute to meaning-making, strengthening students’ reading and writing.

Examining Text Features Outside, Around, and Inside a Nonfiction Text

Just as there are many ways to structure an entire text in order to give it clarity and coherence, text features can also support comprehension. In Checking Out Nonfiction K-8: Good Choices for Best Learning (Christopher-Gordon Pub., 2000), authors Rosemary A. Bamford and Janice V. Kristo refer to these text features by their location: outside the body of the book, around the text, and inside the text. This is a useful way for educators to discuss with students how the specific parts of a book support and extend its overall design. Since not every book will have all possible text features, be sure to provide a range of materials.

Outside a Nonfiction Text.

Begin by considering these features:

• Table of contents
• Bibliography
• Index
• Glossary

Outside features help readers locate what they want, understand the overall structure of the book, learn the sources used to write it, find additional books to extend their understanding, and enrich or support vocabulary. It’s a good idea to spend some time showing how these features help readers from the start. For example, closely examine the table of contents. Does it reveal the specific topics to be discussed? How are the titles written—as questions, topics, vivid quotes from within the chapter? By stopping to examine a table of contents, readers ready themselves for what is to follow.

Around a Nonfiction Text.

Before delving into the main text, consider how the author has framed the book for the reader by exploring these features:

• Introduction
• Author’s Note
• Illustrator’s Note
• Preface
• Afterward
• Appendix

Around features not only introduce readers to a topic, they also provide additional information about the subject and the author’s experience researching it. By carefully examining an author’s note, for example, students might learn how that person became interested in the topic, the kind of research required to write the book, and what discoveries were made. This information demystifies the process of creating nonfiction and helps readers understand the passion writers have for the topics they investigate.

Inside a nonfiction text.

As you discuss reading a text, explore how these features support the text or extend it by providing additional information:

• Headings and subheadings
• Sidebars and insets
• Photographs and captions
• Diagrams
• Graphs, charts and tables
• Timelines
• Maps

While headings and subheadings can guide students as they read, photographs and captions extend and assist in comprehension. A photograph may show details not included in written text. Captions can go much further by pointing out details, providing additional information beyond the text or the photo, giving opinions, speculating, and posing questions for the reader to think about. It’s a good idea to consider how these features complement and extend the writing.

Both text structure and text features provide ways for writers to organize and introduce information, while keeping the narrative engaging. When we introduce these features of nonfiction to students, they benefit both as readers and writers. Having conversations about texts is a major component of the Common Core State Standards. Discussing how texts are constructed and using examples from quality nonfiction books is both illuminating and essential.

CHANTLER, Scott. The Captive Prince: Three Thieves. Bk. 3. Kids Can. 2012. ISBN 9781554537761. JLG Level: GM : Graphic Novels Middle (Grades 5-8)

Dessa’s experiences on the farm and on the circus have given her the skills she needs to rescue a captured prince, who quickly falls in love with her. A group of kidnappers with an agenda of their own, combined with Dessa and her companions’ secrets, offers a gripping tale of action and adventure. The third entry in this captivating series will keep readers salivating until its conclusion in the next book.

COLFER, Eoin. The Supernaturalist: The Graphic Novel. illus. by Giovanni Rigano. Disney/Hyperion. 2012. ISBN 9780786848799. JLG Level: GM : Graphic Novels Middle (Grades 5-8)

Based on the novel of the same name, Colfer teamed up with Andrew Donkin to adapt it for the graphic novel format. With art by Giovanni Rigano and color by Paolo Lamanna, Cosmo’s story is brought to life. After a childhood of being the object of horrible experiments, an accident allows Cosmo to escape a no-sponsor orphanage. He joins ranks with the Supernaturalists who have been saving the world from the attacks by parasites. Nothing, however, is quite what it seems.

Just as riveting as the original, The Supernaturalist is one life-saving mission after another―right up to the surprising conclusion.

GOWNLEY, Jimmy. Her Permanent Record. Vol. 8. (Amelia Rules! Series). S &S. 2012. ISBN 9781416986157. JLG Level: GM : Graphic Novels Middle (Grades 5-8)

Middle school comes with a multitude of problems and emotions, even for a superheroine. Amelia feels pressure from the cheerleading squad and the younger kids who want to be her protégés. And, of course, boys. When her Aunt Tanner disappears. Amelia and Rhonda decide to save the adult who has so often taken care of them.

Gownley has another hit with this title in the series. Not only will readers laugh, but they may need a tissue too.

HALE, Nathan. Hale’s Hazardous Tales: Big Bad Ironclad! Bk. 2. Amulet. 2012. ISBN 9781419703959. JLG Level: GM : Graphic Novels Middle (Grades 5-8)

In the second volume of Hale’s Hazardous Tales, American patriot Nathan Hale stalls his hanging by telling one more history tale. Our hero settles in to tell the tale of the Monitor and the Merrimack. Using humorous interjections, the graphic novel delivers Civil War history with a sense of mystery and action. Back matter includes short biographies of historical figures and notes on the author’s poetic license while writing the story. History delivered with wit and action makes this a wonderful package to use in any classroom.

HATKE, Ben. Legends of Zita the Spacegirl. First Second. 2012. ISBN 9781596438064. JLG Level: GE : Graphic Novels Elementary (Grades 2-6)

With fame comes responsibility. Zita’s past precedes her and fans flock for her autograph―and her help. Her quick decision to trade places with a robot look-alike leaves her stranded on a planet with no way back. Unexpected tickets to a circus introduce readers to a character who will mean more to Zita than entertainment. Zita’s journey to save Pizzicato leads her to face the Star Hearts and put on her hero suit once more. A journey all in itself, readers will cheer once again for this easily-liked team of galactic stars.

For ideas about how to use these books and links to supportive sites, check out the Junior Library Guild blog, Shelf Life.

Junior Library Guild is a collection development service that helps school and public libraries acquire the best new children’s and young adult books. Season after season, year after year, Junior Library Guild book selections go on to win awards, collect starred or favorable reviews, and earn industry honors. Visit us at www.JuniorLibraryGuild.com.

Here’s what Sarah had to say about page four of my book: “There are two paragraphs here, which begin with the sentence, ‘There are two ways to tell the story of America.’ Again I was pulled to an abrupt halt. Really? (I thought) There are two ways to tell the story of America? Two? Not three or six or twenty.’”

Obviously, I don’t agree, and I look forward to a lively discussion with the Flowers team at some future gathering. But I’m restating my point here not to wrangle over my book’s language, but rather to reflect on the recent presidential election and some of the post-election analysis and complaints.

As the New York Times reported, some Republican voters in, for example, Wyoming are discouraged by the election’s outcome. Those businesspeople see what they term “dependency” on the government as “unsustainable” and directly counter to what they’re certain is our nation’s can-do, self-reliant, and individualist core. Of course, it was precisely this split between the 47 percent of takers and, implicitly, the 53 percent of doers that Governor Romney spoke of in that captured video—a split echoed by Bill O’Reilly and many others after the election.

From the Colonial days, when Pennsylvania’s rich lands were called the “best poor-man’s country,” through Emerson’s canonical essay on self-reliance, through the generations of graduation speakers who have used his words as their guide and inspiration, America has stood as a land where an individual has a chance to make good. Our emphasis on the individual as an individual was in stark contrast to the rest of the world, where a nation or empire generally embraced an established religion. In those societies, one was defined as belonging to the prevailing faith or viewed as an outsider. There was also a set class system in which your expectations were defined by your birth—and a strong sense of national heritage in which to be English, or Chinese, or Zulu was defined by not being something else. Of course, this made it difficult to figure out what rights to grant minorities, such as Jews, Quakers, Uighurs (Muslim Chinese), Koreans in Japan, etc.

No wonder the Wyoming voters are angry and feel as if the America they know, love, and believe in is slipping away and joining the muck of the world that their ancestors left behind. But there’s one key flaw in that narrative of American history. When Congress first set rules for how an immigrant could be become a naturalized citizen, it faced a major dilemma. Should just anyone be allowed to come here and join the American experiment, including Jews who could not vote or hold office in England and Catholics who might be beholden to the Pope? In 1790, Congress decided that religion would not be a barrier. Indeed, any free white person was eligible for citizenship. (The rule was amended to include Africans after the Civil War—and thus specifically excluded Asians and later Hispanics; the law was not fully replaced until 1952.)

For some Americans, being an individual has always been trumped by being part of a group: African Americans, Native Americans, LGBT Americans, Hispanic Americans, Asian Americans, Jewish, Catholic, Muslim, Hindu, Buddhist Americans, and even female Americans have always been aware of their group identity—once considered a demerit, now often a source of pride. Here’s the second narrative of American history: no matter who you were as an individual, the shadow of your group defined how others perceived you, and it greatly influenced your prospects. If you identify with any of these groups, American history has only fractionally been a story of individual effort. Rather, it has always been a matter of collective profile.

In the recent election, members of precisely these same groups tended to side with President Obama, and all of the post-election demographic analysis has been about their rising power. One narrative of America’s history that emphasizes collective experience is edging past another that emphasizes that individuals are free to seek their own destinies. But there are, as I said at the beginning, two narratives of our past. Both are, in their own way, true. Indeed, it’s the weave, the intersection, of belief in the individual and the assumption that that individual is white and male, that’s our national story. Both of these stories, taken together, subvert and enhance one another and make up the real pageant of our past.

What a perfect Common Core topic: present your students with a cluster of resources, some that focus on America as the land of the individual and others that focus on our nation as the land of group prejudice and collective experience. Soon, I hope, your libraries will be alive with sound of the resulting questions, comments, and debates. I can hardly wait.

What is reassuring is that we know that children of all ages can think critically about the world in creative ways, particularly when they are given robust and developmentally appropriate texts as part of a well-crafted, student-centered curriculum. These specific groupings of books or multimodal digital texts are referred to as clusters, or text sets. Situating students within the context of a text cluster allows librarians and teachers to use their collections in new ways. Teachers already have tried-and-true books and can use their library to build outward—moving from highlighting a single text to using a text cluster.

Not only do clusters offer an opportunity to differentiate reading, they create a synergy within the curriculum, allowing students to consider multiple perspectives. When readers see that knowledge is not fixed, that there is no single way to represent an idea, a literary theme, a historical event, or a scientific concept, they see the role of the author in new and exciting ways. When given the opportunity to pen their own works, they can apply what they have learned about a variety of different genres and text types.

Text clusters, or text sets, offer rich opportunities in science, language arts, social studies, and the related arts such as music and art. Here are specific ways to use clusters in your library and classroom, and in your work with grade-level teams.

Clustering Concepts: Ecosystems

Text clusters can be used as a tool to teach science content standards as well as the Common Core State Standards for language arts and content literacy. Let’s say you are working with a third grade teacher who is teaching ecosystems or animal habitats. Most likely, your library has a variety of books on different ecosystems and animal habitats to support student inquiry. But to explore that topic with a tighter focus, and model the thinking across texts, the unit could launch with an exploration of how ecosystems change over time.

First, recommend that the teacher read aloud Joyce Sidman’s Song of the Water Boatman (Houghton Mifflin, 2005), illustrated by Beckie Prange. Moving from spring to winter, the book carries readers through four seasons in the life cycle of a pond. On each spread a poem, a nonfiction paragraph, and a woodcut illustration can be found.

Follow that title with the nonfiction picture storybook The Wolves are Back (Penguin, 2008) by Jean Craighead George, about the restoration of wolves in Yellowstone National Park. Students will understand what happens when one animal is removed from an ecosystem, and how that ecosystem shifts its balance when the animal returns.

Finally, the class could explore Thomas F. Yezerski’s Meadowlands (Farrar, 2011), an illustrated history of the wetlands region in northern New Jersey. In small groups, children can discuss how an entire ecosystem can suffer extensive damage and yet manage to rebuild itself over time. Each of these titles offers a different perspective and models a different text structure (poems and paragraphs; narrative; exposition) that youngsters can reference as they they compose in response to the study.

Clustering Biographies: Powerful Pairs and Triplets

Since biographies of the famous and infamous are abundant and ever increasing, it’s easy to put together “bio-clusters.” Start small with two titles that can be compared, and then build larger collections of books, and primary and secondary sources (photographs, prints, letters, newspaper articles, maps, political cartoons). Here are a couple of book clusters to get started.

Powerful Pairs: Beginning with Biographies

The CCSStandards call for us to begin comparing two texts on the same topic with students as early as kindergarten. Picture books are a good place to start because it’s easy for young readers to spot the differences in illustrated works. Using biographies about the same person is one way to show children that informational texts on the same topic are not the same.

For example, two picture books about Jane Goodall, can be used to highlight different approaches to the same information. That is, not all authors select the identical information to spotlight. Me…Jane (Little, Brown, 2011) written and illustrated by Patrick McDonnell ends with a young Jane Goodall going to sleep and dreaming of her future on the continent of Africa where she studies animals. When readers turn the page, Goodall, wakes up as an adult. The dream has been realized.

In contrast, Jeanette Winter’s The Watcher (Random, 2011), children receive a fuller story of how Goodall saved her money, traveled to Africa, and met the scientist Louis Leakey. It was Leakey who suggested that Goodall study chimpanzees in Tanzania.

Both books also provide unique kinds of visual information. Me…Jane contains actual writing and illustrations by the young Goodall, who as a girl, organized a group called The Alligator Society. The Watcher presents pictures of Goodall’s early life in small, tightly framed images. In contrast, once the woman begins working with chimpanzees, the pictures burst out of their frames and become two-page spreads. Her joy and sense of the freedom are obvious.

Terrific Triplets: A Cluster of Biographies

In books for older readers, bio-clusters raise additional questions about how history is written. The following titles bring readers face to face with contradictory information. In Amelia Lost (Random, 2011) author Candace Fleming casts doubt on Earhart’s claim that she saw her first airplane at the 1908 Iowa State Fair when she was 11 years old. According to Fleming’s research, there were no planes in Iowa at that time. She suggests that the aviatrix fabricated stories to suit an image she wanted to project.

Two other books, Amelia Earhart (Abrams, 2008), by Shelley Tanaka, and Corinne Szabo’s photobiography, Sky Pioneer (National Geographic, 1997), report that Earhart saw a plane at the fair as fact. The authors of these titles relied on Earhart’s own writings. Here is an opportunity to discuss with students that the sources authors consult can matter and that they may present conflicting information.

This cluster presents many additional opportunities to make comparisons. There are differences in text organization, visual information, theme, and more. Using these books, educators can initiate important conversations about craft and structure, the use of evidence to support ideas, and point-of-view.

Professional Sources Can Guide You

There are many ways to use text clusters or text sets in the library and in the classroom. What we have offered is a mere starting point. Professional resources are available to provide additional guidance as you begin working with clusters.

Eds. Note- two of the authors of this article have written relevant texts on the subject.

Myra Zarnowski’s History Makers (Heinemann, 2003) outlines how to compare biographies using such criteria as accuracy, style, illustration, theme, and selection and interpretation of information. A data chart is provided for gathering information and student samples show how it is done. In Making Sense of History (Scholastic, 2006) Zarnowski describes a hands-on approach for learning about multiple perspectives in history books.

For an up-to-date source on planning with clusters of nonfiction material, see Mary Ann Cappiello & Erika Thulin Dawes’s Teaching with Text Sets (Shell Education, 2012). This book describes innovative ways to incorporate nonfiction literature, as well as other genres, in the classroom while achieving CCSS and content standards. It provides both ready-to-use ideas and guidance for developing your own units of study using specific text models.

Bruce Coville accepting the Empire State Award for Excellence in Literature for Young People. Photo by Sara Kelly Johns.

Following in the footsteps of Maurice Sendak, Linda Sue Park, and Madeleine L’Engle, Bruce Coville became the twenty-third recipient of the Empire State Award for Excellence in Literature for Young People at the New York Library Association (NYLA) annual conference in Saratoga Springs, NY, earlier this month.

“Receiving this award validates humor,” said Coville. His numerous series for children include “My Teacher Is an Alien,” “Space Brat” (both S & S), and “Nina Tanleven” (Random).

Coville, a resident of Syracuse, NY, has written over 100 books for young people, and he and Elizabeth Levy recently coauthored Amber Brown Is Tickled Pink (Putnam, 2012), a tribute to Amber’s creator, the late Paula Danzinger. Coville is also the founder of Full Cast Audio, a company that creates unabridged recordings of great books for young people.

“Children are worth our best efforts,” he said, underscoring his conviction that society should put more resources toward young people, including through libraries. Teachers and librarians should be paid on the same scale as ballplayers, and vice versa, Coville said.

Given annually by the Youth Services Section of the NYLA, the award acknowledges a  body of work by a living author or illustrator residing in the state.

During the ceremony, Coville read a poem he had written, “Ripples.” Featured in the anthology Dare To Dream…Change the World (Kane/Miller, 2012), the poem explores how a single action can have a ripple effect—an enormous, positive impact.

Giving a child a book is such an action, Coville said, reading a letter from a woman who as a 10 year old had read his book My Teacher Flunked the Planet (S & S, 1992), about a group of children touring the globe with a mission to save the earth. The woman attributed her decision to join the Peace Corps and to work in Kenya to reading Coville’s book.

On the Common Core State Standards, Coville defended the use of fiction in the classroom, explaining that empathy can be taught through story. Children fear the unknown, he said, and through fiction, they can experience and understand those whose situations are dissimilar from their own.

“Bruce Coville is a great choice for this award,” said Joyce R. Laiosa, president of the Youth Services Section of NYLA. “He knows that stories draw young people to reading.”

Moderator Mary Ann Cappiello leads the author panel “Nonfiction at the Forefront of the Common Core,” at the School Library Journal Leadership Summit.

Among other mandates, the Common Core State Standards (CC) require students to “gather relevant information from multiple print and digital sources” and “assess the credibility and accuracy of each source.”

At the School Library Journal Leadership Summit held October 26-27, four authors of children’s nonfiction—Deborah Hopkinson, Barbara Kerley, Steve Sheinkin, and Sally M. Walker—came together to share their views on what they do, how it relates to these requirements, and how they, as authors, address CC principles while conducting research for their books.

Moderator Mary Ann Cappiello of Lesley University led the author panel, “Nonfiction at the Forefront of the Common Core,” an October 26 discussion about the development of content, the use of primary and secondary sources, the balance of perspective, and writing style as it relates to the standards.

Authors from the Nonfiction panel sign books for attendees.

The authors opened by discussing the content of their books as it relates to current events, from the U.S. election to a dysfunctional Congress to the possibility of Iran developing nuclear weapons. Sheinkin discussed the relevance that his book Bomb: The Race to Build—and Steal—the World’s Most Dangerous Weapon (Roaring Brook, 2012), a National Book Award finalist, has for today’s kids regarding the specter of Iran’s developing nuclear weapons. Barbara Kerley noted that her book, Those Rebels, John & Tom (Scholastic, 2012), which focuses on the relationship between John Adams and Thomas Jefferson, shows that although Congress has often disagreed, historically, it can still function for the good of the people.

Sheinkin characterized his research as “nerdy detective work,” while Kerley said that her exploration of primary resources made her characters come alive. Who knew that John Adams was a “foodie”, or that Thomas Jefferson was a shopaholic?

Kerley also addressed how she and the book’s illustrator, Edwin Fotheringham, worked to present a balanced perspective—an issue relating to CC’s mandate that students  “assess how point of view… shapes the content and style of a text.” Fotheringham revealed Adams and Jefferson’s differences visually: Jefferson is shown as well dressed, while Adams wears tattered clothes, and the two men are portrayed standing back-to-back to emphasize that they disagreed. Kerley showed how the men differed through straightforward description, such as, “John liked to talk” and “Tom was shy, and dreaded speaking in front of crowds.”

Walker, author of Their Skeletons Speak: Kennewick Man and the Paleoamerican World (Carolrhoda, 2012) explained that her research revealed conflicting archaeological conclusions as to whether a spear wound caused the death of a man, based on 9,000-year-old remains. Newer technology and research indicated that he recovered from the wound, while older research findings differed.

Authors Deborah Hopkinson and Barbara Kerley display their books.

Hopkinson, author of Annie and Helen (Schwartz & Wade, 2012), about Helen Keller and Annie Sullivan, used Sullivan’s letters as a primary source of her research. However, it was her choice of verse to tell Sullivan and Keller’s story that participants honed in on in relation to the Common Core. The Craft and Structure specifications of CC ask students to “interpret words and phrases as they are used in a text, including determining technical, connotative, and figurative meanings, and analyze how specific word choices shape meaning or tone.”  Hopkinson’s reason for choosing verse? “I live in language,” she said.  “Read like a writer and write and a reader.”

After the presentation, summit attendees were encouraged to become more savvy regarding the Common Core. Krista Brakhage, a media specialist at Poudre High School in Fort Collins, CO, tweeted afterward:  “Note to self: Buy more non-fiction historical/scientific picture books for my high school ELA students.”

Walker had a message to relay to student researchers: “Librarians are your new best friends.”