Module 7: Allie Finkle's Rules for Girls Moving Day by Meg Cabot

Allie Finkle’s Rules for Girls, Moving Day by Meg Cabot is a realistic fiction chapter book for elementary students.

Summary

Allie Finkle’s best friend Mary Kay is a bit high maintenance.  So, when Allie’s parents announce that they will be moving across town Allie is excited about the prospect of a new best friend and a new kitten.  That is, until she discovers that the house they are moving into is big, dark, old and creepy.  She is sure the house is right out of the the TV series her mother loves, Please Come Fix Up My House.  And, to top it off, her new potential best friend’s brother warned her not to go into the attic.  Allie thought the new house might be haunted, but after this new information, she was determined not to let her family move into that new house.

Allie makes up and writes down her Rules for Girls in a spiral notebook to help her remember how to live a good life.  She has rules about friendship, what to eat, and even science rules.  She tries hard to abide by her rules, but occasionally breaks them.

Allie has a few tricks up her sleeve to prevent the move.  Along the way she upsets her testy best friend even more, and some mutual friends stage an intervention to get them back together.  There’s a failed attempt at rescuing a tortured show cat, and a successful attempt to free a turtle at a Chinese restaurant that Allie believes may ultimately become turtle soup.  Meanwhile, as Allie gets to know the new neighbor and her friends she discovers what real friendship looks like. 

In the end, Allie will have to face her fears of the new attic and decide if the house is truly haunted. 

Impression

Allie Finkle is such a lovable character.  Her voice in the novel is an authentic nine-year-old girl.    Her life’s dramas very much reflect those of your typical middle class 4^th grader.  At first,  I thought I would be annoyed with her nine-year-oldness, but I couldn't help being drawn in.  Allie Finkle tries to be a good friend, even though she knows the friendship is flawed.  She sometimes makes mistakes, which further highlights her believability.  However, she stands up for what she believes in making her a great role model.  The story is light and funny, with small lessons sprinkled throughout.  As a girl, she is someone you want to be like, or be friends with, even though you know she is not perfect. 

Library Uses

Allie Finkle’s Rules for Girls, Moving Day would be an excellent book to use for an elementary school book club, especially for girls.  After reading the book, students could create their own, “rules for girls” which could be displayed in the library.  Discussions could center around friendships, moving, and standing up for what you believe in.

Professional Reviews

Like every other kid lately, nine-year-old Allie Finkle is developing her list of rules for friendships, school situations, family and overall life. Dos and don’ts for any newly minted tween can get pretty complicated when an already unsettling relationship with a so-called best friend is augmented by one’s parents’ decision to sell their comfortable suburban dwelling and move to an un-renovated Victorian-style, 100-year-old gloomy and possibly haunted house in the city. And, what about the new (really old and crowded) school and a fourth grade filled with unfriendly faces? Allie is stressed but decides to take charge by hatching a scheme to prevent the sale of her suburban house and thus, the move. Cabot’s endearing, funny and clever protagonist will have readers simultaneously chuckling and commiserating as succeeding chapters introduce individual “rules” for Allie to contemplate and accept. Lessons on friendship and fickleness, sneaky behavior, lying, animal cruelty and theft (although paying for a “rescued” pet turtle that was never for sale may raise some eyebrows) merge to create a humorous and heartwarming story. Allie’s first-person voice is completely believable with just the right amount of tongue-in-cheek wit. Despite the now-overdone rules concept, readers will eagerly await Allie’s next installment in her new home, school and neighborhood. (Fiction. 8-11)

--Kirkus, 2008

References

Cabot, M. (2008). Allie Finkle's rules for girls Moving day. New York: Scholastic Press.

MOVING DAY by Meg Cabot | Kirkus. (2008, January 1). Retrieved March 31, 2015, from https://www.kirkusreviews.com/book-reviews/meg-cabot/moving-day-2/

How I Live Now Book Trailer

Watch my book trailer on How I Live Now by Meg Rosoff.

Image Attributes

Atom_bomb by  vaXzine under CC BY-NC-ND 2.0.

By the Lake by Jill G under CC BY-NC-ND 2.0.

DSC01426 - Ross Farm by Dennis Jarvis under CC BY-SA 2.0.

The Farm by Zach Baranowski under CC BY-NC-ND 2.0.

Golden September in New York City by Josh Liba under CC BY-NC-ND 2.0.

Korean War - HD-SN-99-03163 by U.S. Army Korea (Historical Image Archive) under CC BY-NC-ND 2.0.
Rosoff, M. (2004). How I live now. New York: Wendy Lamb Books.

Spring (!) lambs by Brian Scott under CC BY-NC-ND 2.0.

Music

Paper Moon (Instrumental) by Jennings courtesy of Animoto.

The Scorpio Races Book Trailer

Watch



The Scorpio Races book trailer

Image Attributes

Cowboy boot With Spur and Horse courtesy of franky242 at FreeDigitalPhotos.net.

Cowboy Splash by Maureen Clark is licensed under CC BY-NC-ND 2.0.

Europe Style House courtesy of Witthaya Phonsawat at FreeDigitalPhotos.net.

Horse Stock Photo courtesy of bk images at FreeDigitalPhotos.net.

Icelandic Horse courtesy of CNaene at FreeDigitalPhotos.net.

IMG_4841 by Dima Sasyl is licensed under CC BY-NC-ND 2.0.

Lake of the Dead courtesy of Evgeni Dinev at FreeDigitalPhotos.net.

Sculptures The Kelpies At The Helix Park In Falkirk, Scotland courtesy of Serge Bertasius Photography at FreeDigitalPhotos.net.

Stiefvater, M. (2011). The Scorpio Races. New York: Scholastic Press.

Twelve Apostles, Australia courtesy of Worakit Sirijinda at FreeDigitalPhotos.net.

Young Woman Model courtesy of photostock at FreeDigitalPhotos.net.

Music

Trojan Horse courtesy of Kurt Oldman at Animoto.

MONSTER Book Trailer

View my book trailer on MONSTER by Walter Dean Myers here.

 Image attributes

D&D Convenience by Stacy K is licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 2.0.

Justice Gavel by Tori Rector is licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0.

Monster copy - Karl Hanns Strobl - Eleagabal Kuperus 1913 by Gwendal Uguen is licensed under CC by 2.0.

Myers, W., & Myers, C. (1999). Monster. New York, N.Y.: HarperCollins.

Rama by Vanessa is licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 2.0.

Rashawn by David Robert Bliwas is licensed under CC by 2.0.

The Robbery by Geoffrey Fairchild is licensed under CC BY 2.0.

Music
Dictator by Jahah courtesy of Animoto.

Module 6: Not in Room 204 by Shannon Riggs

Not in Room 204   is a picture book written by Shannon Riggs and illustrated by Jaime Zollars.

Summary

This is the story of a young girl who has a secret.  She is being sexually abused by her father.  The story conveys how the teacher, Mrs. Salvador, works all year long to establish a classroom that is physically and emotionally safe, as well as disciplined.  She addresses issues in the classroom by saying, you may do that other places, “But not in Room 204” (Riggs, 2007).  She talks about how bullying, name calling, fighting, stealing, and poor work are unacceptable in Room 204.  Through her statements and her actions she is defining limits, and building rapport and trust with her students. 

The main character, Regina Lillian Hadwig, begins to feel safe with Mrs. Salvador.  The teacher notices that Regina is quiet and reaches out to her.  After a stranger danger lesson, Mrs. Salvador takes it one step further by saying, “But it’s not always strangers who touch children in ways they shouldn’t be touched.  Usually it’s someone the child knows” (Riggs, 2007).  Regina feels safe enough with Mrs. Salvador that she is bravely able to tell the teacher her own story.

Impression

If you were to believe the “Awful Library Books Blog” you would come away with the impression that this book is unnecessary and has creepy pictures.   And that is quite absurd on both fronts.  Because the librarian has shelved the book inappropriately, is not quite sure where to put it, and is confused about the audience for this book, she has weeded it.  Bloggers should re-read what they write before they post it, otherwise they might find too late that they sound ignorant.

Not in My Room can help victims of sexual abuse know that they are not alone.  It can help them see that there are people out there who can help.  Some children and young adults may not know where to turn.  It gives them someone to identify with and helps them to know that while it may take courage, they too can get help.  It illustrates the type of person someone in crisis could go to.  The title of the book is vague for a very good reason, privacy.  Who wants to pick up a book that says, “What to do if you are sexually abused” on the cover?  If the book is shelved properly, it will get into the hands of the person who needs it.

 A commentator on the blog said that the book should be with counselors, but it didn't belong in a public library.  Really?  Did she read the book?  It is not a therapy book, but a book about telling.  In my public library, it was shelved in the 362.76 section for Abused and Neglected Children.  Exactly where it should be.  Anyone who is searching abuse or sexual abuse will find it.  It is unlikely that a child looking for a picture book would inadvertently stumble upon it, but if they did, the pictures and the text are not inappropriate.  The book does not belong in the general picture book section or the parenting section.  This is not a book parents would read to their children, even if they knew that the child was experiencing abuse; again it’s not a therapeutic book, but a book about telling.

Not in My Room would also be appropriate for teachers and school counselors.  It is not a teacher read aloud book, but a teacher education book.  It demonstrates some good tips to setting up a safe classroom in a nonthreatening way.  Reading it would be a great start to a teacher in-service on reporting abuse.  School counselors may use it with students they suspect are experiencing abuse. 

The person who wrote this review said that she weeded it because it was never checked out.  Since it was located in the parenting section, that is probably true.  Wrong audience.  And, as another commentator pointed out, it may not be a book that is checked out and taken home, but one that is read in the library.

Reading the review and comments on the Awful Library Book Blog reminded me that it is truly important to read a book, consider the audience, and shelve it properly.  This book needs to be available for those who may go looking for a little courage. 

Library Uses

This book is not a book you would use for a story time read aloud.  It is not meant for that.  It is meant to be available for a person who is looking for help, or for a professional who may be a helper.  The librarian’s job with this book is to shelve it properly, be aware of its presence, and make it available if ever asked.  I understand space can be a premium, but the book is current, and unfortunately, too many kids are experiencing this abuse. 

The librarian could put together a list of some books, and do short summaries, for teachers and other professionals who may be looking for resources on abuse and other issues.  She could send an email to school administrators asking them to distribute the information.  As a teacher and counselor it would be helpful to know what is available.

Professional Reviews

“Regina Lillian Hadwig loves Room 204. Her teacher, Mrs. Salvador, makes sure that all of the children follow the rules. Desks are kept neat, wisecracks are not allowed and there is no fighting. “In Room 204, we keep our bodies to ourselves,” Mrs. Salvador says. When the class does a unit on Stranger Danger, Mrs. Salvador mentions that it’s not only strangers who touch children in ways they shouldn’t be touched, and tells the class in no uncertain terms that she knows exactly how to help if any of them has such a problem. When Regina comes in early the next morning and reveals that her father has been touching her inappropriately, Mrs. Salvador repeats that she knows exactly what to do, and unburdened and relaxed, Regina is now ready for a new day at school. Overall, the text is strong and graceful, the story manages to avoid proselytizing and appealing illustrations grace the pages. If the ending is pat, it may serve a purpose: comforting readers. A good choice for parents and teachers who plan to address safety and molestation with children. (Picture book. 5-8)”

--Kirkus, 2010

References

Not in Room 204. (2011, March 16). Retrieved March 1, 2015, from http://awfullibrarybooks.net/not-in-room-204/

Not in room 204 by Shannon Riggs , Jaime Zollars | Kirkus. (2010, May 20). Retrieved March 1, 2015, from https://www.kirkusreviews.com/book-reviews/shannon-riggs/not-in-room-204/

Riggs, S., & Zollars, J. (2007). Not in room 204. Morton Grove, Ill.: Albert Whitman.