The Book Thief by Markus Zusak

The Tequila Worm

Bibliography: Canales, V.(2005). The Tequila Worm. New York: Wendy Lamb Books Book Summary It is about a young girl, Sofia, growing up in a Mexican- American family. The story centered on family life and traditions. It starts with a young Sofia as she goes through the process of growing up from childhood to adulthood. The various stages of her life are marked by timeless traditions that keep her grounded throughout her life and teach her the value of family in her life. Sofia encounters conflict at school from other kids because she is different. Her resolve to succeed gives her the guts to rise above any petty conflict she encounters from other children. Sofia’s ambition to go to college and the effort that she puts in school finally earns her a scholarship, something that most kids would identify with. My Impression The story is rich with Mexican American culture. Unique Hispani...

Letters From a Desperate Dog by Eileen Christelow

Summary: Emma, a puppy, lives with her owner George who is a painter. They get along fine most of the time but sometimes Emma cannot seem to get anything right in George's eyes. Everything she does seems to set her human owner off: lying down on the new couch, talking to her neighbor canine friends fishing in the trash etc. All she hears all day from George is "BAD ! BAD ! BAD !". Emma is desperate to fix this friendship. During one of her visits to the library she discovers a canine advice columnist, Queenie, who offers advice to dogs. Emma emails Queenie for advice. Queenie advises Emma to get off the couch and try to be more useful to her owner. My view: The cartoon like drawings led an appeal to the story. Most kids will understand Emma’s dilemma of being misunderstood by her owner. The multiple panel inserts accompanying each story line on a page are a nice touch. Emma’s dilemma is made more real by the accompanying emails she writes and receives from Quee...

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