March is Women's History Month!

Think about about the people you admire or aspire to be--who is he or she? How many of your heroes are women? Women of all backgrounds definitely make an impact on our world and have been for centuries. Tomorrow, March 8th, is International Women's Day and every March in the United States, we take the time to recognize and celebrate the contributions of women in history. One of the best ways to do that is by exploring their lives and achievements through books at the Longfellow Library. The history of women is both inspiring and surprising! Come see Ms. Lane or me about the following nonfiction and fiction titles:

Failure Is Impossible! A History of American Women’s Rights by Martha E. Kendall
A history of the female heroes who defied and challenged society’s views on the rights and roles of women.








Damsels Not In Distress: The Story of Women in Medieval Times by Andrea Hopkins
Describes what life was like for noble and peasant women during the Middle Ages; a time when the church had great power and the concept of romantic love was born.







By Grit & Grace: Eleven Women Who Shaped the American West edited by Glenda Riley and Richard W. Etulain
Whoever said, “Go West, young man” failed to predict the women who would heed this call. This book explores the lives of eleven women, the likes of Calamity Jane and Annie Oakley.







Shout, Sister, Shout! Ten Girl Singers Who Shaped a Century by Roxane Orgill
Get to know the lives, the loves, and the music of influential female singers such as Ma Rainey, Judy Garland, Madonna and more!








Girl in a Cage by Jane Yolen and Robert J. Harris
In 1306, eleven-year-old Princess Marjorie, daughter of king of Scotland must confront the humiliation of being caged in the middle of the town square by the King of England. Armed with only the weapons of her spirit and wit, can she break free from her prison?







Miss Spitfire: Reaching Helen Keller by Sarah Miller
Partially-blind yet young and determined, Annie Sullivan sets out to work a miracle with a deaf and blind little girl named Helen Keller.









Uprising by Margaret Peterson Haddix
One of the greatest tragedies of its time, the Triangle Shirtwaist Fire in 1911 killed 149 workers and changed the lives of all American workers. Told through the eyes of Bella, Yetta, and Jane who join the fight for the safety and protection of workers’ rights.







Fire from the Rock by Sharon M. Draper
Sylvia Patterson has been selected to be one of the first African American students to attend Little Rock’s Central High. Sylvia is on the brink of changing history, but can she withstand the racism that undermines her safety and dignity?

James Collier's My Brother Sam is Dead: A Review by Mariano!

Tim Meeker has a family of four and he is the youngest. His brother Sam has joined the American Revolution and his father's mad at him. Tim want to fight with Sam but if he joins Sam, it's fighting his brother and joining his father is fighting his brother. I like this book because it has a lot of feelings and because most of it is true. I think someone would like this book because it is good!

Kara Dalkey's Little Sister: A Review by Alexa!

*This book is NOT available at the Longfellow Middle School Library, but it is available for check out at the Berkeley Public Library*

Little Sister, a novel by Kara Dalkey, is an intriguing story that takes place in Japan and tells the story of a noble girl named Mitsuko. In the story, her sister, Amaiko marries a relative of the emperor, a man named Yugiri. Everything seems to be going well for their family until Yugiri is killed while trying to defend Amaiko and her sisters (including Mitsuko) from warrior monks. Amaiko's soul seems to be looking for Yugiri's after this; Mitsuko, as the caring little sister she is, tries to find and return the two souls, before Amaiko, soul and body, is gone. I enjoyed how challenging yet how descriptively entertaining this story was. I also enjoyed how the author used simple sentences that used luscious language to tell the story, making me feel as if I was there. I recommend this book to anyone who enjoys adventurous, touching accounts of how far siblings will go fro each other in a difficult situation.

Jeff Stone's Monkey: A Review by Sam!

This book is about five brothers who were raised in a temple learning kung fu. But their temple is destroyed and they are all separated. This book follows the adventures of Malao, the youngest brother. I like this book because it is exciting and cool. You should read this book because it is really cool and a good book.

Ellen Howard'sThe Crimson Cap: A Review by Ms. Lane!

The crimson cap belonged to Pierre’s father and now it was his. Pierre did not want to leave his mother, sister and younger brothers behind but he was the oldest boy, and he was responsible for them now that his father was gone. Even if he was only 10 years old he had to try and find help for his family and the people at the French settlement. Pierre and the men encounter hunger, pain and illness as the ill-fated expedition unravels. Most of the men kill each other and Pierre ends up living with an Indian family. They nurse Pierre back to health. He learns their language and customs, to hunt, to swim and to live like they do. Will Pierre ever make it back to the settlement and his family? This gripping story is based on the real Pierre Talon and true events in history of America.

M.T. Anderson'sThe Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing: Volume II. Kingdom of the Waves: A Review by Ms. Lane!

The riveting saga of Octavian Nothing continues with his escape along with Dr. Trefusis, a compassionate tutor, to British controlled Boston, Octavian joins the Royal Ethiopian regiment in exchange for the promise of freedom. Octavian hears and records the stories of his fellow Africans and escaped slaves. The Royal Regiment is destroyed by smallpox and Octavian experiences first hand the injustice of their military service, evil and hatred. He learns what it is like to kill someone in the fight for emancipation and the struggle for liberty that ironically will exclude Octavian and slaves like him.

Welcome Back Tigers! And a Review from Ms. Lane!

Happy Back-to-School Tigers! Ms. Lane and I are revving up to make it an awesome year with new books, programs, and activities. Need a good book to read? Check here often for new book reviews from your fellow Tigers! If you have a book you would like to review and post on Tiger Reviews, see Ms. Lane or me, Ms. Hernandez, for a Tiger Reviews form. After you have filled it out and submitted it to us, we will reward you with a Tiger Ticket!

Ms. Lane and I spent our summer vacation relaxing and enjoying some great books. The following is Ms. Lane's Tiger Review of M.T. Anderson's The Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing: The Pox Party.


Diaries and letters recount this remarkable story, a National Book Award winner, in revolutionary America of Octavian Nothing, a young African prince who is a zoological experiment conducted by the Novanglian College of Lucidity, a group of Boston radical intellectuals. They want to determine if the African mind can absorb what the European mind can. The boy, Octavian, and his mother are treated as royalty but kept isolated from the rest of the world. Octavian received an excellent classical European education. However, his entire life is observed and recorded. They measure how much food he takes in and how much outtake there is. The situation takes a turn when, at age seven, Octavian discovers he is part of a scientific experiment and the reason for the close scrutiny he has lived under. Another turn of events occurs when the Novelangian College hosts a pox party, an attempt to improve the small pox vaccine, where the guests are inoculated with the disease. The attempt fails miserably. Octavian’s mother dies of the disease and in his grief he escapes. He meets other runaway slaves and realizes the reality of his bizarre life. The story is told is eighteenth century prose and describes the struggle for freedom, the goal of his Patriot captors, while defining the horrors of slavery along with the hypocrisy of the nation’s quest for liberty.

Orson Scott Card's Enchantment: A Review by Elsa!

Ivan discovers a magical clearing in the forest when he returns to his homeland in Russia. Inside this clearing, he finds a sleeping woman. They travel back in time, living out what Ivan believes might be the origin of all Russian fairytales. I liked this book because it is inventive and different. I recommend this book because it is exciting.

Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice: A Review by Lana!

Pride and Prejudice is a tale of the five Bennet daughters, especially Elizabeth, trying to make good marriages. Then two young handsome rich men enter the picture: Mr Bingly and Mr. Darcy who fall in love with Elizabeth and Jane. Will love be enough to conquer social constraints, fortune, and pride? Even though the language of this book is sophisticated it never gets boring. It is a timeless classic and a story that won't let you go!

Harriet Beecher Stowe's Uncle Tom's Cabin: A Short Review by Jade!

Tom is an honest man who is the slave of a kind slave master who goes in debt and has to sell his favorite slaves, Uncle Tom and Harry. The mother of Harry overhears this, tells Tom and his wife, and together they run away. During their escape, Tom refuses to run away and is taken by the slave trader who purchased him. While Tom is separated from his wife and children he hopes someday he will return home to his family. I liked this book because of all the figurative language and all the beautifully developed characters. I recommend this book because it teaches you about the horrors of slavery and how it broke up and separated families.

Book Title & Author: Uncle Tom's Cabin by Harriet Beecher Stowe

Accelerated Reader level: 9.3
Accelerated Reader points: 32.0

Ying Chang Compestine's Revolution is Not a Dinner Party: A Novel: A Quick Review!

Revolution is Not a Dinner Party is about Ling's life during the Cultural Revolution. It is about how her life changed and how she changed as a person. I like this book because it was a good story and explained a lot about the history of China. I liked this book also because it's history and it's one of my favorite subjects. You should read this book because it explains a lot about one side of the Cultural Revolution and it has a sense of fiction although it all really happened.

Book Title & Author: Revolution is Not a Dinner Party: A Novel by Ying Chang Compestine
Accelerated Reader level: 4.7
Accelerated Reader points: 6.0