Georganna Pizanowski

ECE 260-Fall Semester

Professor Kalas

October 22, 2017

Contemporary Realistic Fiction

Evaluation for Non-Fiction-

Author- Tomie dePaola

Publisher- G. P. Putnams Sons

Synopsis- This is a true story of how Tommy had spent his Sundays when he was a young a

child. He would visit his grandparents and build a bond with them.

Evaluation-

Style and Language- 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

Comment: The author uses a strong and clear exposition to tell how he spent his Sundays while

growing up.

Compelling details- 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

Comment: Quotations were used to show personal voice from the grandmothers.

Fascinating comparisons- 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

Comment: There were not any fascinating comparisons. The only comparison made was when

the older brother compared his grandmother to a witch.

Unusual subjects or viewpoints- 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

Comment: There were not any unusual viewpoints or subjects that I could relate with in this

story.

Personalized content- 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

Comment: There were first-person accounts when the grandmothers were speaking.

Accuracy- 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

Comment: This is a story about the author and his grandmothers. The reference to this story is in

a letter in the back of the book stating that this was his life.

Attractive design- 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

Comment: The photos are artwork are a classic to me. They fit perfectly with this story.

Photo or artwork captions- 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

Comment: Through the artwork and photos you can feel little tommys emotions. He is happy

while visiting his grandmothers but very sad when he goes there, and nana upstairs is no longer

there.

Is it a well-rounded piece? 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

Comment: This is a very good book for children to help them relate with how they are with their

own grandparents.

Rating- 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

Comment: This is the first time I have ever read this book and I can relate to my own visits with

my great-grandmother. Very enjoyable. Every child should read this story.

Evaluation for fiction-

Author- Eve Bunting

Title- Smoky Night

Publisher-Harcourt Brace & Company

Summary- A story about when the riots were over. How neighbors that disliked each other come

together in the end.

Evaluation-

Plot: A little boy trying to find his cat in all the aftermath of a riot. Friendships are formed with

neighbors that disliked each other.

Believability- 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

Comment: The story being told from the childs perspective is very believable. It has sadness

from not being able to find his cat.

Major Dramatic question- YES YES (but slow emerging) NO

Comment: I was not sure where the book was going until after the fire and they could not find

the cats then it started to make sense.

Other Considerations- 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

Comment: The conclusion was satisfactory and there was clear conflict between the different

neighbors. There was also concern for the cat that was missing.

Style and language- 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

Comment: The unexpected insight for me was that I was thinking that the book was about a

mother explaining to her son what riots were. It was more involved than that.

Pacing- 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

Comment: The book was good for reading to children and didnt seem to hard or fast paced for

this age group.

Character- 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

Comment: I believe it including cultural considerations in this book with the neighbors being

from different cultures.

Setting- 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

Comment: This story didnt give an exact setting. From the pictures and the way the story was

going it seemed to be in an apartment in Los Angeles.

Theme- 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

Comment: We find the theme of this book in the sentence of how the cats didnt know each

other. We then realize that we cant just assume how someone is if we dont know them.

Other Considerations- 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

Comment: You can feel the human emotion when the mother is trying to explain to Daniel what

is going on. Also, when the mom realizes what her son said about the cats not knowing each

other is true.

Is it a well-rounded piece? 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

It had good character and the theme was present and it had cultural considerations.
Overall Rating- 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

Comment: I did not care for this book because for me it was not coming together until the very

end. I thought it was a book about a mother explaining to her son what the riots were and instead

it was about how neighbors can come together despite their dislikes for each other.

Evaluation for fiction-

Author- Norton Juster

Title- The Hello, Goodbye Window

Publisher- Michael Di Capua Books

Summary- A child visits her grandparents. They have a window where everything happens

around it.

Evaluation-

Plot: When the little girl goes to her Nanna and Poppys house she gets to also visit the window

where thing seems to happen around it. To her this window is very important.

Believability- 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

Comment: You can feel the importance of the window to this small little girl.

Major Dramatic question- YES YES (but slow emerging) NO

Comment: You learn right in the beginning of the book how special the hello, goodbye window

is.

Other Considerations- 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
The book didnt really have a satisfactory ending because the girl went home until the next visit.

Style and language- 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

Comment: The sentences were small and scrunched together. Like a little girl was telling the

story. It made you believe that this story was being told from the perspective of a little girls.

Pacing- 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

Comment: The flow of the story seemed appropriate for the age group of the book. It kept with

the story and did not linger.

Character- 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

Comment: These characters can be relatable but not all grandparents are like this, so I dont think

that it rings true to everyone but if you were to stereotype grandparents then this would ring

true.

Setting- 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

Comment: The setting is at the grandparents house in the kitchen. This is explained from the

very beginning of the book.

Theme- 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

Comment: The theme of this book is the window. The little girl is convinced that that window is

special.

Other Considerations- 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

Comment: The mood and tone were very happy and playful.

Is it a well-rounded piece? 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
Comment: I gave it a seven because not all children can relate to going to their grandparents for a

visit or even their grandparents playing with them.

Overall Rating- 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

Comment: It is a good book for children. It has laughter and fun. It makes children think that

certain objects are special.

Evaluation for fiction-

Author- Eve Bunting

Title- The Memory string

Publisher- Clarion Books

Summary- Laura lost her mother and all she had left was a memory string. It was hard for her to

accept her step-mother. When the string broke her step-mother was there to help her.

Evaluation-

Plot: When Laura was grieving for her mother she was having a hard time accepting her step-

mother. Something happened that changed Lauras mind to where she started to warm up to her.

Believability- 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

Comment: This very relatable to children who are experiencing the same thing. Children that are

going through divorcing parents can also relate to this.

Major dramatic question- YES YES (but slow emerging) NO

Comment: It states from the beginning that Laura did not accepting of Jane because she was not

her mother.
Other Considerations- 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

Comment: This book has a satisfactory conclusion because Laura realizes that Laura is there for

her.

Style and Language- 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

Comment: The language helps you to feel that the girl is sad. How the words are laid out and

what words are used lets you feel the emotions.

Pacing- 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

Comment: The flow of the book is good it gets straight to the point and does not lag.

Character- 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

Comment: You can see this being a real little girl that is sad she lost her mom and sad because

her dad re-married. The way the character is portrayed is relatable to children going through loss

of a parent or even parents that got divorced and re-married.

Setting- 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

Comment: The other states where the girl is at throughout the story. She is in the grass by the

tree or in her room in the house.

Theme- 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

Comment: You dont know that Laura realizes she can make new memories with Jane until the

very end of the book.

Other considerations- 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
Comment: For most of the book the mood and tone are sadness and frustration. At the end it is

happy.

Is it a well-rounded piece? 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

Comment: You can feel the mood and tone that was set for this book. Children in these situations

can relate to Laura.

Overall Rating- 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

Comment: I gave this book an eight because I felt what she was going through but there wasnt

enough to explain why she didnt like Jane except she married her dad.

Evaluation for fiction-

Author Beverly Cleary

Title- Muggie Maggie

Publisher-Harper Collins

Summary- Maggie decides she is not liking cursive until something happens that will change her

mind about cursive writing.

Evaluation-

Plot: Maggie gets appointed the class mail messenger but cannot read the envelopes. Suddenly

cursive becomes very interesting to Maggie which she didnt think she needed to learn earlier.

Believability- 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

Comment: This is relatable to children trying to learn a new subject. You can feel the frustration

and uninterest in the words.

Major dramatic question- YES YES(but slow emerging) NO

Comment: the major question was if Maggie will learn cursive and when.

Other considerations- 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

Comment: This story had a satisfactory conclusion. Maggie learned cursive because she wanted

to know what the principal and the teacher were writing notes about.

Style and language- 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

Comment: This author uses precise vocabulary, gives you very detailed events without making it

too wordy.

Pacing- 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

Comment: Flows nicely. The story does get a little off track describing some things but does not

go overboard with descriptions.

Character- Maggie is the dynamic protagonist because in the beginning she was not going to

learn cursive, and no one was going to make her. Towards the middle she began wanting to learn

because she wanted to know what the notes were saying. At the end she can read exactly what

the notes say. So, there was a reason why she changed but she did change.

Setting- 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

Comment: The setting jumped around from the school to home. It was not always clear where

the setting was taking place.

Theme- 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
Comment: The theme I would take away from this is that you can do anything you set your mind

to and try hard enough.

Other considerations- 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

Comment: I could not really grasp the mood and tone except for when Maggie was frustrated

because she could not read the letters.

Is it a well-rounded piece? 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

Comment: It was a good theme, it had great character and the style and language was not too

difficult for this age group.

Overall Rating- 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

Comment: This is a good book for a chapter book. It is harder than a picture book but children

can relate to it because it is something that they could be going through in school.