Immigration Unit for Third Grade

Third grade does a huge immigration unit, usually toward the end of the school year. In collaborating with the teachers, I selected some books for read-alouds during the past few weeks. The first one, Small Beauties: The Journey of Darcy Heart O'Hara, is not in my school collection but I read a review about it somewhere and was able to reserve it through the St. Louis County Library system. This is a wonderfully sweet book about a little girl, who in the midst of hardships in her native land of Ireland, is able to find the beauty in simple things. Her collection of special items, sewn into the hem of her dress is cherished by her family when they settle into their new home in America. Be sure to read the author's note at the end of the story for an interesting surprise about the genesis of this story.

Author: Elvira Woodruff -- Illustrator: Adam Rex

The second week I read two books. "She could have picked a chiming clock or a porcelain figurine, but Miss Bridie chose a shovel back in 1856". So begins the story Miss Bridie Chose a Shovel. We follow Miss Bridie as she leaves her home and family behind to travel to America. This not only is a story about immigration, but also about the usefulness of the shovel as it comes into play throughout Miss Bridie's life. Author: Leslie Connor -- Illustrator: Mary Azarian

Next up, Henry and the Kite Dragon, a Missouri "Show Me Book" nominee a few years ago. This story, a lesson in tolerance and understanding, takes place between two neighborhoods in New York : Chinatown and Little Italy. Written well, with stunning illustrations, the message is "there are always two sides to every story." Author: Bruce Edward Hall -- Illustrator: William Low

And, the third week, capping the unit off, students watched a "Reading Rainbow" episode from the Sea to Shining Sea: Stories of America DVD entitled "Watch the Stars Come Out." This is an inspirational episode, beginning with footage of immigrants arriving at Ellis Island, through LaVar Burton's field trip up the scaffolding around the Statue of Liberty during it's restoration in the mid-1980s (look for the Twin Towers in the background), to an ethnic fair in New York city. Neil Diamond's "They're Coming to America" as the backdrop for the final footage in this episode was particularly moving to me. The students and their teachers really enjoyed this DVD.

Watch the Stars Come Out: author: Riki Levinson -- illustrator: Diane Goode

Revenge of the Spellmans

Revenge of the Spellmans, the third book in the Spellman Files series came out a few weeks ago and I have just finished reading it. It is every bit as good as the first two, The Spellman Files and Curse of the Spellmans. I love, love, love this series.

The Spellmans are a quirky family who run a detective agency, but spend a lot of time spying on/investigating each other. The author, Lisa Lutz, scatters footnotes thoughout the pages and her humor has me laughing out loud.

Last summer I ran into my local Saint Louis County Library branch to pick up a few books to take on our vacation. Curse of the Spellmans was on the "new releases" shelf, so I picked it up, never having heard of the author or her work. A day into our road trip I had finished the book (there's not a lot to look at in Western Missouri, Kansas and Oklahoma) and upon returning home picked up the first book in the series. I know, that's not the order one would usually pick for reading a series, but I was hooked.

Lutz's writing style and characters remind me of the type of books that my nephew, Michael Snyder writes. His second book, Return Policy, should be released soon.

If you like funny stories with quirky characters and snappy dialog, this is the series for you. I've read that plans are underway to make the first book into a movie, though production has not yet started.

You can read more about Lisa Lutz on her website: http://lisalutz.com/