Red Thread Sisters

Written by Carol Antoinette Peacock

Published by Viking an Imprint of Penguin Group (USA) Inc., 2012

All Wen and her best friend Shu Ling wanted were to be adopted into a family of their own. When Wen gets adopted she realizes that leaving her friend behind was much harder than she thought. Wen promises Shu Ling that once she is in America she will find a family for her. But promises can be hard to keep especially when time is running out.
Lexile Level: 700L
Age Range: 8-12 years
Page Count: 236
Suggested Delivery: Independent Read, Read Aloud

Key Words: Friendship, Promises, Family, Determination, Adoption.

Internet Resources:
Red Thread Sisters Author Teaching Guide
http://www.carolpeacock.com/pdfs/teacher-guide-red-thread.pdf
This is a great resource for teachers who want to teach this book. The author has prepared many lessons that you could teach along with this book. There are also a list of discussion questions made by the author and a section about the author.
Book Trailer
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m6yTeIIhsdc
This is a trailer for the book which I think is great to get the students excited and motivated about reading the book.

Vocabulary:

• Orphanage: a place for children who have been orphaned, to live and be taken care of. 
• Gratitude: to show that you are thankful, readiness to show appreciation and to return kindness.
• Wardrobe: a large, tall cabinet that is used to hang and store clothing. 
• Advocate: to publicly recommend or support someone or something. 
• Extra: an item in addition to what is usual or strictly necessary. 
• Allowance: giving someone a sum of money regularly, usually for doing something in return.

Teaching Suggestions:

1. Finding the theme lesson idea from the author. Have each students take 3 sticky notes and write down 3 quotes from Wen that her character felt strongly about. Post on the board all of the sticky notes and have the class come up and read all of them. From there have a discussion with the class about what they think the theme of the book is.
2. Before the students read the novel have them come up with a list of qualities that their sister has as a sister or if they do not have a sister, the qualities that they would look for in a sister. After reading the novel have them write down the qualities that both Shu Ling and Emily posses as sisters. Have them compare the lists and see how it is the same and different.

Reading Strategies:

1. Before: Since the novel revolves around the myth of the invisible red thread, read to the students the cover and the inside flaps of the book. Teacher can play a Voki like this one to start the book introduction. Once they have a picture of what the book is about, read the myth of the invisible red thread which is located on the first page of the novel and ask the students to think about how this is going to connect to the story and whether or not they think it is true. Have them do this is the Think-Pair-Share model. 
2. During: Have the students read the novel using Directed Reading Thinking Activity. For reference to how this works here a description. Ask the students to stop after page 33, have them consider how they think that Wen's life in America is going to be, as well as a prediction as to whether or not they think that Shu Ling will be adopted. Stop again at page 112 and have them reconsider their predictions. At the end of the book have them revisit their predictions and write about how their predictions did or did not come true.
3. After: On the lesson plan made by the author there is a great set of questions that the students can answer after having read the text that ask them to cite specific examples so they will better develop their skills of going into a text to find evidence as well as compare and contrast questions. 

Writing Activity:
In the novel Wen and Shu Ling write letters to one another. At the end of the reading ask the students to write a letter as if they were Wen to the Aunties back at the orphanage, Have the students write about some of the major points that happened in the book, paying attention to how everyone was feeling. The letters have to have all of the appropriate parts.