Why I Picked It Up: This book was one of Jessica’s picks on our Summer Reading List. The historical connections with the flag that inspired our national anthem appealed to my love of historical fiction, and the mystery-loving part of me was intrigued by the maze created out of the flag on the cover. Finding well-written, interesting novels that are on a 3rd grade level is difficult, so I thought I would give this one a try. If the cover hadn’t gotten me, the first line would have: “They never should have unlocked the door. They never should have let them in.” So exciting!
Why I Finished It: This was a hard one to put down. I found myself turning pages faster and faster towards the end, and having to force myself to slow down and really read the words on the page because I kept wanting to fly to the end to figure out what happened. It’s not a terribly complex story, as it is written for middle to upper elementary students, but it is very well-written with solid characters and plot development. The author doesn’t shy away from more advanced vocabulary words, but gives plenty of context clues so that younger readers won’t be hindered by their presence.
I loved how the three kids, who do not start out as friends, get thrown together to solve this mystery, and they each realize they have their own strengths to contribute to the team. The setting intrigued me as well. With the exception of the first two chapters which set up the mystery, the rest of the story takes place while the kids are snowed in at an airport. It was a little reminiscent of the Mixed Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler, where the kids are stuck in the museum. It takes real skill to develop an entire mystery and find ways to advance the plot in a single, essentially isolated location, and Messner does it very well.
Who I Would Give It To: It’s definitely a novel that 3-5 students will enjoy. It would also go nicely in conjunction with the 5th grade study of Colonial America, the events surrounding the writing of the national anthem, and the formation of American beliefs and principles. Since the chapters are fairly short, and most of them end with a cliff-hanger, it would be a fun (for the teacher, not the students!) read-aloud, with plenty of opportunity to practice making predictions.
Integration Ideas
Theme/Guiding Questions
Heroism:
- What makes someone a hero?
- What does it take to be a “true American hero”?
Patriotism (SS Connection)
- How does a “patriot” represent American beliefs and principles and contribute to our national identity?
- Is a patriot always a hero?
Reading – Character Interaction
The three main characters – Anna, Jose and Henry – are very different by the end of the story. They are different as individuals, but also as a team. At the end of each chapter, examine the relationship between the three kids. How has it changed? What causes those changes?
Persuasive Writing and Letter Writing
Anna is very convinced, especially after solving the mystery of the stolen flag, that she is old enough to be a member of the Silver Jaguar Society. Write a letter to her mother to persuade her to let Anna be an official member. Use supporting details and examples from the story to prove Anna’s skills and qualifications as evidence.
A few passages about the Silver Jaguar Society to get you started:
- 25-26
- 29-31
- 217-231
Technology Integration – App Smash – Playful Language/Idioms
Sinan keeps a journal of figures of speech and he draws what they “say but do not mean” (50).
Examples: 48, 51, 70, 85, 215, 227-8
Doodle Buddy: Download
Chatter Pix: Download
Choose a figure of speech that Sinan has not already drawn and use a drawing app (Doodle Buddy is an easy one) to draw what it says, not what it actually means. Upload your drawing into Chatterpix and record a 30 second narration explaining the figure of speech.
Social Studies Links
The Smithsonian Star Spangled Banner Exhibit: http://amhistory.si.edu/starspangledbanner/national-treasure.aspx
More about Grace Wisher
Star-Spangled Banner Historical Trail: http://www.nps.gov/stsp/index.htm
Star Spangled 200 (website for the Maryland War of 1812 Bicentennial Commission): http://starspangled200.org/Pages/Home.aspx
I like any lesson that deals with heroism and true heroes! Getting kids to work together to identify the meaning behind what/who embodies “hero” qualities gets them to think outside themselves. This book sounds like one I want to add to my library.
I want to read this book to see if it’s something that my 4th graders would be interested in. It sounds great, and it would give them a bit of background knowledge to work from when they enter 5th grade next year.
Definitely! Let us know how they enjoy the book!
I liked the resources provided for this book on this site. They are very creative and has a lot of meaningful questions to explore the meaning of the text
Thank you!