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Molly Felder
Molly Felder
THE FANTASTIC FREEWHEELER Series (graphic novel)
... vs. THE MALL OF DOOM
Drew Daniels, aka the Fantastic Freewheeler, is enjoying a peaceful afternoon in the park when real estate tycoon Natalie Main suddenly bursts onto the scene! She declares that the beloved outdoor space will be bulldozed to make way for a ginormous mall that never closes. Can Freewheeler use his info-absorbing superpowers to look deep into the past to discover the answer to stopping the demolition plot, before it’s too late?
... and the SCHOOL DANCE DISASTER:
Drew Daniels, aka the Fantastic Freewheeler, is facing his toughest mission yet--the school dance. He's taking his friend, and crush, Maxima Croft and wants everything to be perfect. But on the big night, an unexpected extraterrestrial guest crashes the party! What's worse, Freewheeler was overusing his info-absorbing ability in hopes of impressing his date, and now he's got a bad case of brain freeze! Can the hero gain his superpower back and communicate with the alien before mass panic breaks out?
... SIXTH GRADE SUPER HERO
On his twelfth birthday, Drew Daniels receives a chunk of alien spacecraft. It's the coolest present ever. But then a Martian secretly comes to take the piece back and gives Drew an even more amazing gift in exchange: the power to absorb information through touch! Will Drew keep this brain boost ability to himself, or will he take up the path of a superhero and help a classmate who loses something precious?
...AND THE MEGABOT ATTACK
Drew Daniels, aka the Fantastic Freewheeler, is excited for his new STEM elective class. But that changes when he's paired up with Brent Baker. A rude know-it-all, Brent is a stinky partner--literally and figuratively. Things only get worse when the boy hijacks their project to secretly build a mega robot... that goes haywire! Can Freewheeler use his info-absorbing superpowers to figure out how to stop the destructive construction?
Curriculum Connections:
ELA:
define the graphic novel genre and compare it to other genres
STEAM:
craft the perfect school dance playlist using only songs about science
create a protest poster with an alliterative slogan to rally against replacing an outdoor space with a mall
design an alien spacecraft
write a persuasive essay to convince someone to build a robot to take over an everyday-mundane task
SEL:
examine an area of the school for accessibility and determine if someone who uses a wheelchair would be able to fully use all the spaces
Chrystal B. Giles
Chrystal B. Giles
Author First Chapter Read-Aloud
Publisher Resources (including activities)
NOT AN EASY WIN
Nothing’s gone right for Lawrence since he had to move from Charlotte to Larenville, North Carolina, to live with his granny. When Lawrence ends up in one too many fights at his new school, he gets expelled. The fight wasn’t his fault, but since his pop’s been gone, it feels like no one listens to what Lawrence has to say.
Instead of going to school, Lawrence starts spending his days at the rec center, helping out a neighbor who runs a chess program. Some of the kids in the program will be picked to compete in the Charlotte Classic chess tournament. Could this be Lawrence's chance to go home?
Lawrence doesn’t know anything about chess, but something about the center—and the kids there—feels right. Lawrence thought the game was over . . . but does he have more moves left than he thought?
Curriculum Connections:
ELA:
define the realistic fiction genre
write a letter from Lawrence to his pop describing his experiences at the rec center and what he is learning about chess
Social Studies:
research the history of chess
create a map of the fictional town of Larenville, NC
STEAM:
design chess pieces that represent Lawrence using 3D software (like Tinkercad) or makerspace materials
Akim AliU
Akim AliU
Akim Aliu — also known as “Dreamer” — is a Ukrainian-Nigerian-Canadian professional hockey player whose career took him all around the world and who experienced systemic racism at every turn. Dreamer tells Akim's incredible story, from being the only Black child in his Ukrainian community, to his family struggling to make ends meet while living in Toronto, to confronting the racist violence he often experienced both on and off the ice. This is a gut-wrenching and riveting graphic novel memoir that reminds us to never stop dreaming, and is sure to inspire young readers everywhere.
Curriculum Connections:
ELA:
Define the genre of memoir.
Define the format of "graphic".
Discuss the similarities and differences between a traditional biography and a "graphic memoir" and why an author may choose one format over the other.
Social Studies:
Research the history of hockey.
Map where Akim Aliu has lived throughout his life and compare the cultures of Nigeria, Ukraine, and Canada.
STEAM:
Research the science of how hockey rinks are built and maintained.
Research how ice skates differ for different sports and purposes and how they are designed to suit the needs of the athlete.
Build a model of a hockey rink and use robots (Spheros, Ozobots) to simulate a game.
SEL:
Research the stories about Collin Kaepernick and his football career (this book was published by Kaepernick Publishing) and compare his experiences to Akim Aliu's experiences in hockey.
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