Title: The Landry NewsAuthor: Andrew Clements
Illustrator: Salvatore Murdocca
Publisher: Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers
Publication Date: 1999
Genre: Realistic Fiction
Audience: Gr. 3-5
Awards: William Allen White Children's Book Award
Overview: This short novel focuses around a young student named Cara who has just transferred to a new school. She is very interested in writing her own newspaper, with the editorial portion being her favorite part. After writing a piece attacking one of her lazy teachers he reacts by starting a full-class project in the production of Cara's newspaper. When a questionably inappropriate article is printed, the displeased principal of the school decides it is time to shut down the paper and hold someone responsible. A lesson and battle surrounding the First Amendment.
Activity: An obvious activity to do with this book would be to start a classroom newspaper including all different aspects of the paper and having students distribute different parts of the work up between each other. In today's progressing internet-focused society, it is possible some students do not receive a newspaper to their home, so it could be almost like a foreign concept to them. By having different groups work on compiling a class or school newspaper students will get familiar with different kinds of news stories and gain some social practice in collaborating on projects. On a more complex level, this story can definitely be crossed over to a social studies class when young students are first being introduced to the Constitution and ideas about freedom of speech/freedom of the press.
Reviewer's Name: Meghan O'Leary
Genre: Realistic Fiction
Audience: Gr. 3-5
Awards: William Allen White Children's Book Award
Overview: This short novel focuses around a young student named Cara who has just transferred to a new school. She is very interested in writing her own newspaper, with the editorial portion being her favorite part. After writing a piece attacking one of her lazy teachers he reacts by starting a full-class project in the production of Cara's newspaper. When a questionably inappropriate article is printed, the displeased principal of the school decides it is time to shut down the paper and hold someone responsible. A lesson and battle surrounding the First Amendment.
Activity: An obvious activity to do with this book would be to start a classroom newspaper including all different aspects of the paper and having students distribute different parts of the work up between each other. In today's progressing internet-focused society, it is possible some students do not receive a newspaper to their home, so it could be almost like a foreign concept to them. By having different groups work on compiling a class or school newspaper students will get familiar with different kinds of news stories and gain some social practice in collaborating on projects. On a more complex level, this story can definitely be crossed over to a social studies class when young students are first being introduced to the Constitution and ideas about freedom of speech/freedom of the press.
Reviewer's Name: Meghan O'Leary
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