CONTEMPORARY REALISTIC FICTION FOR INTERMEDIATE-AGE CHILDREN
Fiction literature is a made-up story, even though it can seem very realistic. Literature and the Child (2017) states, "The task of the author is to make the fiction seem plausible, or possible, within the world that the author has created (Galda et al., 2017, p. 11)." Children's contemporary realistic fiction books aim to entertain while also introducing relatable topics, literary concepts, and imaginative thinking. The sense of reality offers believable stories about people and events that could happen even though they did not.
BOOK SUMMARY
The New Kid by Jerry Craft is a children's book that follows a seventh-grader, Jordan Banks, who draws comic-style cartoons about his life. He describes his experiences in a private school as one of the few students of color in the school. This is a coming-of-age story for young children that can help them navigate their emotions and learn about the world around them.
BOOK EVALUATION
The book's central themes are social justice, exclusion, and identity, which reflect the challenges young children face today. The setting introduces authentic ideas with characters that do not project stereotypes. Jordan Banks, the main character, is multidimensional and grows and develops over the book. The intended age group can understand the book's plot, theme, and vocabulary. The illustrations are artistically excellent and support the text in a meaningful and purposeful way. The design elements of lines, colors, and shapes explore artistic expression.
MOTIVATIONAL ACTIVITIES
1. BLANK COMIC- Encourage children to make a comic strip detailing their day.
2. PRODUCE A TRAILER- Have children work in small groups to write a script for a trailer for The New Kid. The children will choose characters to play the roles, create props, and the dialogue. Finally, they will act out the script and edit it to make a final product.
READER RESPONSE QUESTIONS
1. How would you feel if you were in Jordan's shoes?
2. Have you ever been the new kid? Tell me about your experience?
3. How would you treat a new kid in the class? What would you do?
SIMILAR BOOKS
Reference
Bell, D. (2020). All the ways to be smart. Scribble UK.
Craft, J. (2019). New kid. Harper, an imprint of HarperCollinsPublishers.
Galda, L., Liang, L. A., & Cullinan, B. E. (2017). Literature and the child. Cengage Learning.
Ludwig, T. (2013). The Invisible boy. Random House Usa Inc.
Raúf, O. Q. (2020). The boy at the back of the class. Thorndike Press, a part of Gale, a
Cengage Company.
Riley, C. (2020). Not so different.
I was the new kid several times in my formative years. It is a very challenging time for any child to leave behind what they know and have to start over again. Especially when finding your place was difficult the first time around. I was very quiet and shy as a child. Having a book like this would have definitely helped me feel more at ease that I was not alone. I love your ideas of creating a comic strip of your day and creating a movie trailer for the book. That would be awesome and loads of fun. Two other activities that can be done is a scavenger hunt where the students have to work in teams to accomplish the tasks and incorporating a "graffiti" wall in the class. The teacher can pick a question or topic and students will be able to think, think, and write ideas on sticky notes to put on the wall. This is a great conversation starter.
ReplyDelete