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Samantha Lara-Pennella

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Samantha Lara-Pennella is currently reading

The Devil's Arithmetic

by Jane Yolen (Goodreads Author)

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Samantha Lara-Pennella said: " Thirteen year old Hannah Stern thinks her family is stuck in the past. Passover isn’t as much fun as Easter which is what her Catholic best friend Rosemary celebrates. She doesn’t understand why her family must constantly bring up the past and rememb Thirteen year old Hannah Stern thinks her family is stuck in the past. Passover isn’t as much fun as Easter which is what her Catholic best friend Rosemary celebrates. She doesn’t understand why her family must constantly bring up the past and remember what happened when Grandpa Will and Aunt Eva were children. During their Passover meal, Hannah is asked to open the door for the Prophet Elijah and instead she is transported to the Polish countryside. While there she experiences history first hand and learns a lesson that she will never forget.
The Devil’s Arithmetic by Jane Yolen follows the story of Hannah Stern as she learns the importance of remembering. This book won the National Jewish Book award and is part of Puffin’s Modern Classics genre which are “beloved novels by critically acclaimed authors”. I think as holocaust survivors slowly have passed on, there is even more of a need to make sure that their stories are told. Especially due to the fact that there are genocides currently being committed in our country as well as in China and other parts of the “developed” world. I also feel that the holocaust brings forth issues like generational trauma as we see with Grandpa Will’s outbursts. These are all difficult topics of discussion but must definitely be something we introduce and educate our students on.
I really enjoyed how this book was written. You know that it’s written in a more present time period but there are enough details omitted that it could be anywhere between the 1980s and now. I’ve read a lot of holocaust related books growing up. We always had a holocaust related unit in reading or language arts every year. I find the stories so moving as they are usually direct personal accounts of survivors. But I also really like that this book is written from an Jewish American girl from the future’s perspective with the foreknowledge of the fate of her peers. This aspect of the novel I felt was unique and more relatable than other holocaust novels I have read in the past. ...more "

Sep 16, 2020 08:35AM · see review

Samantha Lara-Pennella is currently reading

Miles Morales: Spider-Man

by Jason Reynolds

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Samantha Lara-Pennella said: " Protecting one of the largest, most densely populated cities in the world is hard work. It’s even harder when you’re only sixteen years old and have to worry about talking to girls, staying out of trouble and getting home on time. Buzz. Family issues Protecting one of the largest, most densely populated cities in the world is hard work. It’s even harder when you’re only sixteen years old and have to worry about talking to girls, staying out of trouble and getting home on time. Buzz. Family issues and figuring yourself out are things that even a superhero has to deal with on a daily basis. In Miles Morales by Jason Reynolds, Miles has a complicated family past and a sixth spidey sense for finding people in trouble. Buzz. Buzz. Not even all the video games in the world with best friend Ganke can’t seem to help him clear his head. Will his duty as a superhero be too much pressure to handle? Buzz. Buzz. Buzz. Join Miles as he learns to balance the life of both an average Brooklyn teen and the life of a powerful, prominent superhero named Spiderman.

Miles Morales by Jason Reynolds is one of the most familiar Marvel tales retold from a more inclusive lens. Miles is a sixteen year old biracial young man from Brooklyn. Just like Peter Parker before him, he struggles with talking to the girl he likes and trying to balance his personal school life with his super hero life. Keeping the city safe means listening to his spidey senses buzzing in his ear during class. After a suspension from his history teacher for leaving to protect the city, Miles begins to have more run ins and wrong place/wrong time circumstances. I think this aspect of the book combined with the fact that Spiderman just recently made a comeback with Tom Holland and Zendaya will make the book relatable and easy to comprehend. Miles sort of feels like he can’t catch a break and I think that resonates a lot with middle grades and early high school aged students.

Although superheroes aren’t normally my cup of tea, Miles Morales was a nice change of pace compared to the typical superhero book. The fact that the book brings together social justice, autonomous learning (challenging Mr. Chamberlain on his views about slavery and such), and the more every day fight between good and evil checks all my personal boxes. I think this book is a great example of literature that we can use to have those tough talks about racial identity and the curriculum gaps in US history. I think this book could be a bridge into social studies topics and could either be used as a way to wrap up a civil rights unit or kick one off and almost go back in time to see how we got to today. I don’t have any reservations about using this book in my future classroom and would very much like to have the opportunity to do so. ...more "

Sep 09, 2020 08:11AM · see review