3. Mysteries use clues and
suspense to help readers
develop their powers of
observation.

4. Sports stories may be
about baseball, football,
or flying.

5. Humorous stories use
ridiculous situations,
exaggeration, and the
unexpected to create humor.

6. Animals

7. In traditional literature &
modern fantasy, animals
talk & act like people or
have other magical powers.

8. The animals in realistic
fiction have a strong sense
of reality & sometimes
tragedy.

9. When evaluatingrealistic animal stories, you
must considerthe followingquestions:
1. Does the author portray animals
objectively, without giving them human
thoughts or motives?
2. Does the behavior of the animal characters
agree with information provided by
knowledgeable observers of animals &
authorities on animal behavior?
3. Does the story encourage children to
respond to the needs of animals or the
need of people to love animals without
being too sentimental or melodramatic?

10. Some authors use animal-
against-society or animal-
against-person conflicts to
advocate protection of animals.

11. Other authors stress the
human development made
possible by interaction
with animals.

12. Many authors also stress
the positive effects of loyalty
and devotion between
humans and animals.

13. Theodore
Taylor’s The
Trouble with
Tuck
• Emphasizes
determination, loyalty,
and self-confidence that
may develop because of
animal and human
interaction.

14. Phyllis
Reynolds
Naylor’s Shiloh
• Use several
techniques to
develop the theme
that cruelty to
animals is wrong.

15. Jack
London’s
Call of the
Wild
• A notable dog
• Story depicts life in the
Klondike during the Alaska
gold rush

16. Jim
Kjelgaard’s
Big Red
• A mountain boy raises a
dog that wins a prize in a
big-city dog show.

17. Marguerite
Henry’s Justin
Morgan Had a
Horse
• The story of Morgan
horse

18. Mysteries

19. Mysteries provide
escape & enjoyable
reading because of their
suspense.

20. They also suggest that
children themselves-if they are
observant, creative, &
imaginative-can solve
mysteries.

22. Donald J. Sobol’s
Encyclopedia
Brown Tracks
Them Down
• Lercy solves the case of
missing ambassador by
reviewing the gifts
presented to him at a
birthday party.

23. Gillian
Cross’s
Roscoe’s Leap
• Enhances mysterious
elements by building
suspense

24. Robert
Cormier’s
In the Middle of
the Night
• Have a suspense, revenge,
and mysterious
happenings.

25. Cormier’s
Tenderness
• Presents the portrait of a
serial killer

26. Sports

28. Many stories deal with the
ideal of fair play, the values of
sports, the overcoming of
conflicts between fathers &
sons, and the overcoming fears
connected with sports.

29. Karen Raugust (1997)
reports a merger between
major league sports teams
& the publishing of sports-
related books.

30. According to a quote by the director of
marketing for the National Hockey
League:
“The sport depends on the long-
term development of fans.
Publishing helps to support all of
the other fan development
programs.”

31. Authors who write about
baseball often imply that
the sport has therapeutic
values.

32. The emphasis of these books is on
the role that baseball can play in
helping children overcome
problems at home, develop new
friendships, face physical
disabilities, or feel
accomplishments.

33. Matt
Christopher’s
The Fox Steals
Home
• Tells the story of
troubled Bobby
Canfield, who is
facing his parents’
divorce & the
prospect of his
father’s taking job far
from home.

34. Alfred Slote’s
Hang Tough,
Paul Mather
• About a leukemia
victim whose
greatest interest
is baseball.

35. Slote’s
The Trading
Game
• About a ten-year-old
boy who matures
during his
interactions with his
grandfather, which is
a former baseball
player.

36. Matt
Christopher’s
Football
Fugitive
• Larry Shope loves
football & longs for
his father to leave
his law practice long
enough to watch
Larry play.

37. Betsy Byar’s
Coast to
Coast
• A strong
grandfather &
granddaughter
relationship.
• It shows that girls
can be just as
adventurous as
boys.

38. Humor

39. Authors who write about humorous
situations that could happen to real
people, allow children to understand
that life can be highly entertaining
and that it is not always serious.

40. Sources of Humor
Word play;
Surprise and the unexpected;
Exaggeration; and
Ridiculous situations.

41. Betsy Byar’s
The Cybil
War
• An entertaining story
about a fifth-grade boy
who has a crush on a girl
• The war develops as Cybil
Ackerman responds in
various ways to Simon’s
advances, which are
intentionally
misinterpreted by his best
friend.

42. Beverly Cleary’s
Ramona Quimby,
Age 8
• Uses a twist on
the words of a
familiar
television
commercial to
create a funny
incident

43. Judy Delton’s
Angel’s Mother’s
Wedding
• Develops both
humor and vivid
characters by
describing Angel’s
worries and
imaginings.

44. Anne Fine’s
Alias Madame
Doubtfire
• Occurs when an
ex-husband
disguises himself
as a cleaning
woman & baby
sitter in his ex-
wife’s house.

45. Joan
Bauer’s
Squashed
• Occur when a girl
tries to grow the
largest pumpkin
for the Rock River
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