Book Detail

Midnight Zoo, The

Publication Information
Author:  Harnett, Sonya Illustrator:  Offermann, Andrea
Title:  Midnight Zoo, The Date:  2010
Publisher:  Candlewick Press City:  Somerville, MA
ISBN, paperback:  978-0-7636-5339-2 ISBN, hardback:  

Recommended audience:
ABE/ABLE:   Yes ESOL:   Yes
Family:   Yes Young Adult:   Yes
Picture:  

General Information:
Book Type(s):    fiction

HSE Descriptor(s):    language arts - reading| social studies| language arts - writing

Summary:
When their Gypsy encampment is attacked by Germans during WWII, three Romanian children flee. In an abandoned town, they find a zoo where the animals tell their stories as everyone seeks to reclaim their lives and freedom.

Teaching Ideas:
This book lends itself to the practice of prediction - read a chapter and then try to predict what happens next, especially the ending. Great discussion of war, redemption and freedom will follow. Midnight Zoo has challenging vocabulary and ideas. Teacher-guided discussion of book for looking at perspectives from other points of view - what is freedom and personal responsibility.

Teaching Strategies:
bullet K-W-L Instruction Strategy
   http://literacy.kent.edu/eureka/strategies/k_w_l.pdf
bullet Think-Pair-Share
   http://literacy.kent.edu/eureka/strategies/think_pair_share.pdf

Keywords: select any link below for a list of resources which also have that keyword
bullet Celebration > traditions
bullet Social Studies > anthropology > cultures
bullet Emotions-Personal Issues > emotions > relocation, personal
bullet History > topic > war > World War II > Holocaust
bullet History > topic > war > World War II > Nazi Germany
bullet History > topic > war > refugees > refugees survival
bullet Science > biology > zoology > animals
bullet Family > siblings


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