How to Code a Sandcastle

Title: How to Code a Sandcastle 
Author: Josh Funk 
Illustrator: Sara Palacios 
Publisher: Viking/Penguin 
Publication Date: May 15th, 2018 
Genre/Format: Fiction/Picture Book 
GoodReads Summary: From the computer science nonprofit Girls Who Code comes this lively and funny story introducing kids to computer coding concepts.

Pearl and her trusty rust-proof robot, Pascal, need to build a sandcastle before summer vacation is over, and they’re going to do it using code. Pearl breaks the big we-need-a-sandcastle problem into smaller steps, then uses conditionals, loops, and other basic coding concepts to tell Pascal exactly what to do. But building a sandcastle isn’t as easy as it sounds when surfboards, mischievous dogs, and coding mishaps get in the way! Just when it looks like the sandcastle might never work, Pearl uses her coding skills to save the day and create something even better: a gorgeous sandcastle kingdom!
What I Think: I'm so excited to use this when we celebrate Hour of Code next year! Our district has been doing Hour of Code districtwide for about five years and next year we have plans to expand this and integrate coding experiences throughout the year. I love how How to Build a Robot helps us think about coding outside of computers. While I sometimes work with the code on my blog, I don't have as much experience with coding that lets me see how coding can be part of other parts of my day. But this book helps me see how I can start looking for times when I can code my day and it also gives me the opportunity to think about this with students. 
     At the end of the book, you can read Pearl and Pascal's Guide to Coding where they explain code, a sequence, a loop, and an if-then-else. I've been thinking a lot about teaching students advocacy. From as simple as, if you aren't sure about something, raise your hand to ask a question, we could talk about if-then-else. I love this! Students could come up with different scenarios and think through what they could do in those situations. You could brainstorm as a group and then ask students to write their own if-then-else scenarios. Sometimes this explicit discussion of what to do in different situations helps students know what options they have in different situations. This is kind of silly but here's an example. When my 7-year-old runs to the car ahead of me and tries to open the door before I've unlocked it, he used to pull and pull and pull on the door handle to get the door open. Finally, I told him, IF he gets to the car and tries to open the door and it's still locked, THEN he should look into the passenger side window and wave at me so to remind me to unlock the door. It worked like a charm. All I had to do was explain to him what I wanted him to do instead of what he was doing. Again, this could definitely work in a school context. Students could brainstorm what to do if: they have to go to the bathroom, need a drink of water, don't understand a math problem, need help spelling a word, etc. Again, this is perfect for discussing any kind of strategies we want students to be aware of IF they encounter a certain situation. 
     As a mentor text, How to Code a Sandcastle also offers a perfect opportunity to look at problems in a story. As students stretch their stories out more, they can start to think about how stories have some kind of problem or conflict that the main character has to work through. Pearl and Pascal encounter four small problems that they have to solve in the story. It's great to pay attention to this as a reader because it helps us understand and retell a story but it's also important to pay attention to as a writer because many stories have a problem or conflict. Once readers notice that this story has a problem, they can start to look for the problem in other stories and make connections in this way while also or before thinking about the problem in their own stories.
Snatch of Text:
"But today, I've got the perfect plan. I've brought my trusty rust-proof robot, Pascal.

He'll do whatever I tell him - as long as I tell him CODE. It's not a secret code - it's special instructions that computers understand."  
Writing Prompt: Write a code for something in your own life. You can write out the steps, identify a loop, or even write an if-then-else code.

Cinder

Title: Cinder (Lunar Chronicles #1) 

Author: Marissa Meyer

Publisher: Feiwel & Friends

Publication Date: January, 2012

Genre/Format: Sci-Fi/Novel

Goodreads Summary: Humans and androids crowd the raucous streets of New Beijing. A deadly plague ravages the population. From space, a ruthless lunar people watch, waiting to make their move. No one knows that Earth’s fate hinges on one girl. . . . 

     Cinder, a gifted mechanic, is a cyborg. She’s a second-class citizen with a mysterious past, reviled by her stepmother and blamed for her stepsister’s illness. But when her life becomes intertwined with the handsome Prince Kai’s, she suddenly finds herself at the center of an intergalactic struggle, and a forbidden attraction. Caught between duty and freedom, loyalty and betrayal, she must uncover secrets about her past in order to protect her world’s future.

What I Think: Wow. Marissa Meyer completely impressed with this one! I was afraid that it was going to be just another dystopian or fairy-tale retelling, but it was so unique and really was entertaining and well done. I can definitely see why Cinder was a huge hit when it came out and I am so glad that I finally got to read it. What I specifically loved about Cinder is it didn't completely rely on being a fairy tale retelling or on being a pure dystopian novel- it is a unique combo of the two. 

     Characters: I love how Marissa Meyer didn't overwhelm the story with too many characters, as I have seen in other dystopian novels, she specifically delved deep into the most important characters. It made me, as a reader, feel like I had a deeper connection with the characters who actually mattered. 

     Setting: Holy world building batman! I am always a huge fan of a character who can build a world that is futuristic yet completely realistic. Although the Lunar colony and the glamours are a bit of a reality stretch, Kai's Commonwealth is completely plausible.

     Conflict: Wow! Levana is so evil! She is a great antagonist to go up against the hardcore Cinder and handsome Kai. 

     In the classroom: The parallels between Cinderella and Cinder combined with many human issues throughout Cinder will definitely make it so it can be part of a classroom read aloud or novel analysis. 

Read Together: Grades 9 and up

Read Alone: Grades 7 and up

Read With: Cinderella by The Brothers Grimm, The House of the Scorpion by Nancy Farmer

Snatch of Text: "The screw through Cinder's ankle had rusted, the engraved cross marks worn to a mangled circle. Her knuckles ached from forcing the screwdriver into the joint as she struggled to loosen the screw one gritting twist after another. By the time it was extracted far enough for her to wrench free with her prosthetic steel hand, the hairline threads had been stripped clean." (p. 1) 

"The lingering moon caught Cinder's attention, and a shock of goose bumps covered her arms. The moon had always given her a sense of paranoia, like the people who lived up there could be watching her, and if she stared for too long, she might draw their attention. Superstitious nonsense, but then everything about Lunars was eerie and superstitious." (p. 43)

Mentor Text for: Characterization, Compare/Contrast, Making Connections, Conflict, World Building, Research

Writing Prompts: In Cinder, cyborgs are not considered to be fully human thus are sacrificed in the name of the greater good; research and find a time in history that you could compare this to. 

Topics Covered: War, Humanity, Mechanics, Propaganda, ID Chips, Plagues, Politics

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The Last Free Cat

Title: The Last Free Cat

Author: Jon Blake

Publisher: Albert Whitman & Company

Publication Date: August, 2012

Genre/Format: Sci-Fi; Dystopian/Novel

Goodreads Summary: Jade has always trusted the authorities, but now she begins to question the very society in which she lives. Not far in the future, cat breeding is strictly controlled and cats are only for the rich in their private estates. When beautiful, sleek Feela turns up in Jade's backyard, she cannot resist taking the cat in, even though it could cost her everything. Soon the enforcement officials are raiding Jade's house. After her mother's death, the only person left for Jade to turn to is Kris, the cynical school loser. Soon Jade and Kris are on the run... 

What I Think: This book is such a compelling read and a great addition to the dystopian subgenre. 

     When I started this book, I had never heard of it but I was intrigued by the concept and right away I was glad that this book had crossed my path. This book was non-stop action and was so hard to predict because of all of the twists and turns throughout. Just as you thought that things were going to get steady for Kris and Jade, something happens. I also enjoyed the back and forth between Kris and Jade. Whenever there is a boy and girl character who are blatantly flirting yet pretend they don't like each other, it makes me want to keep reading to see if they figure it out (and you'll have to read to find out if Kris and Jade do). 

     I was particularly enthralled with this book because it seemed to be something that could realistically happen in the near future. The idea of killing off animals who spread a disease already happens and the extreme that the book goes to could definitely happen. It actually hurt me to think of a world where people couldn't have cats- the companionship that cats provide is something no other animal can. 

     Also, I think this is another book that is a great example of "Don't judge a book by its cover" as the cover makes it look so boring! It isn't, I promise. 

Read Together: Grades 6 to 12

Read Alone: Grades 7 to 12

Read With: The Girl Who Remembered Horses by Linda Benson, Personal Effects by E.M. Kokie, The Unwanteds by Lisa McMann

Snatch of Text: "There was no way she'd let me touch her at first. Trust had to be built up slowly and painfully. I talked to her softly, offered her little treats, and took care not to make any sudden or threatening movements." (p. 10) 

"There was one person, however, who found me endlessly fascinating. Kris Delaney. Kris was the bane of my life. It was the entire aim of his existence to test me. I don't know why I interested him so much. It certainly bugged him that I wasn't born in the neighborhood and had lived in a greenhome and, OK, we'd had a boat if only a small one. But Kris was different, too. You'd see him with other lads, kicking a ball about, but you'd see him on his own just as much. There was always a distance between him and his mates." (p. 17) 

Mentor Text for: World Building, Conflict, Characterization

Writing Prompts: Jade goes on the run from the authorities to protect Feela. Do you agree with the choice she made? Use text evidence to back up your claim. What is something or someone in your life that you would risk everything for like Jade did for Feela? 

Topics Covered: Authority, Companionship, Choices, Death

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(4.5 hearts)