Literature Guide

Easy-to-use, reproducible lessons on literary terms, comprehension and analysis, critical thinking, related scriptural principles, vocabulary, activities, plus a complete answer key.

Stanley's family never has any luck, and they jokingly blame it on his no-good-dirty-rotten-pig-stealing great-great-grandfather. Accused and convicted of a crime he did not commit, Stanley Yelnats goes to Camp Green Lake, a misnamed juvenile detention camp on a dried up, barren Texas lakebed. Every day each boy must dig a five-foot hole in the dry lake bed to "build character"; but it soon becomes clear that the warden is looking for something. The warden's secret, the history of Green Lake, and Stanley's own family history all fit together like pieces of a puzzle as choices made in the past continue to have an effect on the present. Soon Stanley's very life depends on his own choices and events that happened over 100 years ago. 1999 Newbery Medal winner. Setting: modern U.S., Imaginative

The 1961 Newbery Medal Winner. When disaster strikes, Karana's people leave their island home to begin a new life across the sea. But Karana is left behind and must learn to survive for many years while keeping alive the hope of an eventual rescue. Based on a true story. Setting: Pacific island, 1835 Pgs: 56

Gives unit tests and vocab tests when reading Amelia Bedella.

In the Pacific there is an island that looks like a big fish sunning itself in the sea. Around it, blue dolphins swim, otters play, and sea elephants and sea birds abound. Once, Indians also lived on the island. And when they left and sailed to the east, one young girl was left behind.

This is the story of Karana, the Indian girl who lived alone for years on the Island of the Blue Dolphins. Year after year, she watched one season pass into another and waited for a ship to take her away. But while she waited, she kept herself alive by building a shelter, making weapons, finding food, and fighting her enemies, the wild dogs. It is not only an unusual adventure of survival, but also a tale of natural beauty and personal discovery.