Embedded Files
Students finishing 5th grade in June of 2019 may choose to read A Good Kind of Trouble by Lisa Moore Ramée over the summer.
Students finishing 5th grade in June of 2019 may choose to read A Good Kind of Trouble by Lisa Moore Ramée over the summer.
In her first novel, Ramée explores the concept that fear can stop you from doing the right thing. Shayla is a shy, bright middle-school student who deals with unwanted advances from boys, racial tensions, academic competition, and finding her own voice. Middle school is quite an adjustment for Shayla and her friends, a diverse trio dubbed "the United Nations," but she decides to stand up for the rights of African Americans after a ruling is made in a controversial court case involving the shooting of a black man by a white police officer. Encouraged by her sister and peers, she joins the Black Lives Matter movement and passes out black armbands at school, an act that puts her at odds with her friends, principal, and students of different races. As civil unrest spreads, Shayla must determine whether creating awareness by causing trouble is worth risking her academic standing. This is a solid story for middle-schoolers dealing with issues such as friendship across racial lines, being strong girls, #BLM, #MeToo, civil rights, diversity, and justice. Grades 5-8. Copyright 2018 Booklist Reviews.
Learning Opportunities
Learning Opportunities
Related Resources
Related Resources
Interactive Social Justice Walk
Interactive Social Justice Walk
Williston Central School students may access this interactive walk. Meander your way through the halls, see what you already know, and learn something new!
Community Book Club
Community Book Club
Students in grades 6 & 8, caregivers and teachers are invited to a book club style conversation at the Charlotte Central School Library on the eve of our district-wide celebration. Let’s bring our books, questions and perspectives together in a conversation facilitated by librarian Mrs. Huestis.
September 4, 5:00-6:00
Reflection Activity
Reflection Activity
The reflection activity included in your welcome packets may be dropped off before September 3. Collection boxes will be available during the summer months at Charlotte Central School, Hinesburg Community School, and Williston Central School. You may drop off at any of these locations.
Poetry Response
Poetry Response
Drop by the Hinesburg Community School Library during their summer hours to pick up materials and inspiration to create a poetic book response.
July 8th, 10th, 15th, 17th, 22nd, 24th, 29th, 31st (Mondays & Wednesdays 8:00-12:00).
Book Poster Social (HCS Students Only)
Book Poster Social (HCS Students Only)
August 26th , 4:00-4:30 (While students visit classrooms, prior to ice cream social). Hinesburg Students Only .
4th, 6th and 8th graders can drop by the Hinesburg Community School library to add thoughts and drawings about the Common Read book they read to a large poster. Talk with other students and/or Ms. Stanley, the librarian, about the book you read. An opportunity to share about each of the Common Read titles.
A Good Kind of Trouble Flipgrid
A Good Kind of Trouble Flipgrid
Share your questions, reactions, and thoughts about the book on this Flipgrid.
Identify an injustice happening today. What do you wonder?
- Please keep in mind all that you know about being a safe, kind, and responsible digital citizen in your response here and to others. Responses will be monitored by teachers. Make us proud!
- If you are not comfortable using a camera for video, it is okay to cover it. We value your voice.
- You will need to use your @cvsdvt.org email address to access the Flipgrid. (Select Login with Google)
Related Reads
Related Reads
Blended by Sharon Draper
Piano-prodigy Isabella, eleven, whose black father and white mother struggle to share custody, never feels whole, especially as racial tensions affect her school, her parents both become engaged, and she and her stepbrother are stopped by police. Grades 4 & up.
The Parker Inheritance by Varian Johnson
Spending the summer in Lambert, South Carolina, Candice discovers the letter that sent her grandmother on a treasure hunt, and with her new friend Brandon, sets off to expose the injustice once committed against a local African American family. Grades 4 & up.
One Crazy Summer by Rita Williams-Garcia
After traveling from Brooklyn to Oakland, California, to spend a month with the mother they barely know, Delphine and her two sisters discover that their mother, a dedicated poet, wants them to attend a nearby Black Panther summer camp. Grades 4 & up.
Becoming Kareem: Growing Up On and Off the Court by Kareem Abdul-Jabbar with Raymond Obstfeld
An autobiography about Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and his life growing up in New York, becoming the basketball star he's known to be, and getting involved in the world around him as an activist for social change. Grades 7 & up.
Compiled by more than 60 State and National Teachers of the Year and Finalists, this list offers additional titles to explore and is organized into sections according to interest level.
Report abuse