Eleven-year-old Delphine has it together. Even though her mother, Cecile, abandoned her and her younger sisters, Vonetta and Fern, seven years ago. Even though her father and Big Ma will send them from Brooklyn to Oakland, California, to stay with Cecile for the summer. And even though Delphine will have to take care of her sisters, as usual, and learn the truth about the missing pieces of the past. When the girls arrive in Oakland in the summer of 1968, Cecile wants nothing to do with them. She makes them eat Chinese takeout dinners, forbids them to enter her kitchen, and never explains the strange visitors with Afros and black berets who knock on her door. Rather than spend time with them, Cecile sends Delphine, Vonetta, and Fern to a summer camp sponsored by a revolutionary group, the Black Panthers, where the girls get a radical new education. Set during one of the most tumultuous years in recent American history, one crazy summer is the heartbreaking, funny tale of three girls in search of the mother who abandoned them—an unforgettable story told by a distinguished author of books for children and teens, Rita Williams-Garcia.

Reconnect with lost loved ones and discover the strength hidden within. This resource is engaging and fun for the students, leading to better comprehension of the novel. Put yourself in the Gaither sister’s shoes and imagine how you would react when facing your long-lost mother. Make inferences based on what is described in the text. Explore the importance of names and why people may change them. Designate statements about the summer camp as true or false. Find the word that does not belong in a series and explain why it does not fit. Plan a meal to serve to your family that is both delicious and nutritious. Track instances of flashbacks and foreshadowing used throughout the novel. Aligned to your State Standards and written to Bloom's Taxonomy, our worksheets incorporate a variety of scaffolding strategies along with additional crossword, word search, comprehension quiz and answer key. About the Novel: One Crazy Summer follows the adventures of the Gaither sisters as they travel to Oakland, California in the summer of 1968. Hoping to reconnect with the mother who abandoned them, Delphine, Vonetta and Fern fly to a strange new town on the other side of the country from where they call home. Scared and alone, the sisters meet a reluctant and secretive woman they refer to as Cecile. While the two youngest try their hardest to win Cecile’s affection, Delphine falls into her role as de facto mother in order to take care of her sisters. In doing so, she is able to slowly chip away at Cecile’s hard exterior and peek inside her inner workings. During their summer stay, Cecile sends the girls to a day camp run by the Black Panthers group. While there, the Gaither sisters meet new people and make new friends. They learn about what the Black Panthers are trying to accomplish and all the good they do for the community. By the end of the summer, the Gaither sisters manage to reconnect with their mother and make lifelong friends.

The Gaither sisters are at it again! A sequel to the Newbery Honor Book One Crazy Summer, this Coretta Scott King Award-winning novel will find a home in the hearts of readers who loved Brown Girl Dreaming and As Brave as You. After spending the summer in Oakland, California, with their mother and the Black Panthers, Delphine, Vonetta, and Fern arrive home with a newfound streak of independence. That doesn't sit well with Big Ma, who doesn't like the way things are changing. Neither does Delphine. Pa has a new girlfriend. Uncle Darnell comes home from Vietnam, but he's not the same. And her new sixth-grade teacher isn't the fun, stylish Miss Honeywell—it's Mr. Mwila, a stern exchange teacher from Zambia. But the one thing that doesn't change during this turbulent year is the advice that Delphine receives from her mother, who reminds her not to grow up too fast. To be eleven while she can. Readers who enjoy Christopher Paul Curtis's The Watsons Go to Birmingham and Jacqueline Woodson’s Brown Girl Dreaming will find much to love in this book. Rita Williams-Garcia's books about Delphine, Vonetta, and Fern can also be read alongside nonfiction explorations of American history such as Jason Reynolds's and Ibram X. Kendi's books. Each humorous, unforgettable story in this trilogy follows the sisters as they grow up during one of the most tumultuous eras in recent American history, the 1960s. Read the adventures of eleven-year-old Delphine and her younger sisters, Vonetta and Fern, as they visit their kin all over the rapidly changing nation—and as they discover that the bonds of family, and their own strength, run deeper than they ever knew possible. “The Gaither sisters are an irresistible trio. Williams-Garcia excels at conveying defining moments of American society from their point of view.” —Publishers Weekly (starred review)

Follow the journey of four students, whose lives are intertwined both personally and academically. Perfect for monitoring comprehension and discussing vocabulary. Students express what they already know about turtles prior to the reading. Explain what Ethan lost and gained at Julian's tea party. Complete a paragraph from the story with the missing words. Find synonyms to difficult words used in the book. Make a prediction of what will happen to the characters at the conclusion of the novel. Conduct an interview with one of the members of The Souls for the evening news. Complete a story map using details about the setting, characters, problem, plot, and resolution. Aligned to your State Standards, additional crossword, word search, comprehension quiz and answer key are also included. About the Novel: The View From Saturday is a Newbery Medal winning story about four gifted students and their life-altering journeys. Noah, Nadia, Ethan and Julian make up the four members of The Souls, a group of 6th grade students competing in the Academic Bowl. Led by Mrs. Olinski—their teacher who has become a paraplegic after a serious car crash—the group must face challenges that will shape their lives as they move through the competition. The story progresses through different perspectives given from each of the four members of The Souls. Each story, told in the first-person, describes an event that relates to a question they were asked in the Academic Bowl finals. Will The Souls successfully rise through the ranks to become state champions?

Imagine what it’s like when twins come of age and drift apart. This resource allows students to have a better connection with the story that they are reading. Answer statements about Josh and Jordan as true or false. Put yourself in the twins’ shoes and imagine ways to stay focused when trying to concentrate. Pretend to be one of the characters and write a first-hand account about a medical emergency that occurs. Find synonyms to key vocabulary words used in the chapters. Research foods that are heart healthy and display the information in a chart or diagram. Complete a Tanka poem, taking inspiration from the novel. Aligned to your State Standards and written to Bloom's Taxonomy, our worksheets incorporate a variety of scaffolding strategies along with additional crossword, word search, comprehension quiz and answer key. About the Novel: The Crossover tells the coming-of-age story of Josh Bell. Him and his twin brother—Jordan—are the sons of a famous basketball player. So naturally, they excel at the sport as well. The two strive to win the championship this year, but Jordan’s interests seem to stray from his brother’s. Jordan starts spending all his time with the new girl at school, and Josh doesn’t understand why his brother is acting so funny. For the first time, Josh is beginning to feel what it’s like to be lonely. He misses his brother, and starts acting out. At one of his games, Josh does something that causes him to be suspended. At home, his mother is becoming worried with her husband’s failing health. Josh learns that his grandfather died of heart disease, and now his own father is showing the same symptoms. He becomes just as worried as his mother, who starts taking steps to make sure the family is eating healthier. But with Josh’s father’s aversion to doctors, it’s only a matter of time before the unimaginable happens, and Josh is faced with a heart-breaking reality.

Gain a fresh perspective of the migration of the Navaho people through the eyes of a young girl. Unique and varied materials supplement a study of this novel. Students are asked to describe what they already know of the Navaho people. Write the name of the character next to each quote from the story. Identify the cause or effect of each event in the book. Finish off sentences with vocabulary words found in the novel. Explain how Rosita was able to adapt to life in a town whereas Bright Morning was not. Students do some research to find the meaning and origin of their name. Gather facts and complete a character analysis of Tall Boy. Aligned to your State Standards, additional crossword, word search, comprehension quiz and answer key are also included. About the Novel: Sing Down the Moon is a Newbery Honor-winning story told through the perspective of a young Navaho girl. Fourteen-year-old Bright Morning takes her family's sheep to graze one spring day. While tending to the flock, she is captured by Spanish Slavers and sold into service. Fortunately, she is able to escape and return home. Unfortunately, her home is promptly taken from her as her tribe is forced out of their canyon in Arizona and relocated to Fort Sumner in New Mexico. The long walk of the Navaho people is described through the eyes of Bright Morning, who sees the migration as the end of her people.

Discover the importance of family, friendships, and what it means to be loved by those around. Present new vocabulary words in a variety of ways to ensure students are excited to expand their literacy skills. Find the antonym for each word. Match words to their definitions, then identify their part of speech. Explore character motivations by stating why Gilly didn't tell Trotter who the visitor was. Explain the expression "demon possession" by writing a story based on this idea. Write a personal reflection on the poem found in the story. Conduct a class survey on things considered to be important in daily life. Aligned to your State Standards, additional crossword, word search, comprehension quiz and answer key are also included. About the Novel: A story about a bold and brazen eleven-year-old girl–and foster child–who has great expectations about life. Gilly runs away from her foster home looking for her real mother. Not finding her, she begins to adjust to life with the foster family. On Thanksgiving weekend, while Gilly is busy taking care of everyone with the flu, Gilly’s grandmother shows up. She has come to take Gilly to live with her in Virginia. Gilly must move to a new home against her will. She realizes how she is loved at the foster house, and learns many valuable life lessons, relationships and prejudice.

Enter a strange world of time travel and mystery, all surrounding one girl. Use a variety of activities to help students figure out the mystery of the novel. Predict what will happen with Julia and Miranda's relationship once their conflict comes out in the open. Figure out what book Miranda is reading to Belle based on the clues from the story. Identify the instructions given to Miranda in the second note. Write sentences using vocabulary words found in the reading. Explain who the laughing man is, his purpose, and the steps he took to prepare Miranda for his mission. Explore racial prejudice in the novel through the eyes of Miranda, and write a letter to Jimmy sharing your feelings on the subject. Aligned to your State Standards, additional crossword, word search, comprehension quiz and answer key are also included. About the Novel: When You Reach Me is a Newbery Medal-winning story about a young girl and her New York City world. Miranda lives in a run-down apartment with her mother in New York City during the 1970s. Propelled by interesting characters, Miranda’s world starts to unravel, as her friend Sal gets punched by a kid on the street for no reason and stops talking to Miranda; her mother’s hidden emergency key is stolen; and a mysterious note arrives claiming to save her friend’s life. In the background is a subplot involving Miranda’s mother’s upcoming appearance on the television show, The $20,000 Pyramid.

Run off with Lucky and experience a series of misadventures, all while searching for a place to belong. The chapter comprehension questions are easy for students to understand. Answer multiple choice questions about the town that Lucky lives in. Students determine how Lucky felt toward Lincoln, and defend their opinion with proof from the text. Research the "chukar" bird and find some interesting facts about it. Describe the dust storm event from the point of view of Brigitte or Miles' grandmother. In pairs, students investigate a topic from the novel and interview each other about that topic. On a Cluster Word Web, students write details about their chosen topic. Aligned to your State Standards, additional crossword, word search, comprehension quiz and answer key are also included. About the Novel: In a small town in the California desert, a 10-year-old girl named Lucky is looked after by her new guardian Brigitte, after her mother dies. Worried that her new guardian will abandon her, Lucky seeks help from her "Higher Power." After discovering three "signs" to leave, Lucky runs away with her dog during a sandstorm. During this great misadventure, she inadvertently saves the life of a child. Their relationship is resolved when Brigitte reveals she is not moving away.

Experience what it's like to rise up and fill a hole left by the loss of a family member. Help guide students through the novel with vocabulary prompts and comprehension activities. Imagine the challenges faced by a Japanese-American family moving from Iowa to Georgia in the 1950s. Explore the concept of prejudice and identify different groups who might experience this. Complete passages from the text with their missing vocabulary words. Reflect on the incident where Katie decides to shoplift and describe the worst thing about the experience. Find examples from the novel of foreshadowing and imagine to what it could be predicting. List the events comprising an incident in the novel in the order that it happened in a Flow Chart. Aligned to your State Standards, additional crossword, word search, comprehension quiz and answer key are also included. About the Novel: Kira-Kira (kee ra kee ra) is a Japanese word for glittering; shining. This unforgettable story is a coming-of-age tale of one family’s difficulties in adapting to a post-World War II society that is reluctant to welcome a Japanese family that is laboring in Georgia’s poultry plants. The story features Katie, her older sister Lynn and their younger brother, Sammy. When Lynn grows ill and eventually dies, it makes Katie realize that she must assume even more responsibility. Removed from the shadow of her high-achieving older sister, she even begins to improve in her schoolwork. This Newbery Medal winning-story deals with family relationships and the illness and death of a close family member in a sensitive, realistic manner.