I think this book would be a great option for determining importance. Having students discuss what was the most important part of the story, what they thought was the turning point of the story and what they thought the author's goal was with writing this story.

I really enjoyed reading this book. The characters in this story were believable and showed the message of thestory ver clearly. before the big go-Kart race, every child was given an identical go-kart kit and set off to work. The main character was a little boy who was beyond excited to build his kart and win the race so he followed the instructions very specifically. Maya on the other hand, showcased the message of creativity in this story. Rather than following the instructions, Maya used the parts in the kit to build a whole new kind of kart that looked more like a plane. Her ability to think creatively or "outside the box" was what this story was truly about. Teamwork was another value that this story illustrated very well. Once the main character saw what Maya was doing, he wanted to work together to create something even better. This two of them working together to build something unexpected was what allowed them to win the race in the end, therefore showcasing how teamwork and creativity can be the difference between success and failure. ( )

Summary:
Going Places is about a boy whose class is building go-carts for a race. Everyone in his class gets the same box of instructions to build their go-cart. Rafael builds his go-cart as per the instructions, however when he goes to visit his neighbor/classmate, Maya, he notices that she is putting a twist on hers. They agree to work together to create a plane that even though it is made fun of a first helps them win the race. At the end of the story, Maya and Rafael seem to continue with their imaginative ideas and decide to build a frog-hopping go-cart.
Personal Reaction:
I really enjoyed this book. I bought it on a whim at my campus bookstore. I enjoyed how the book seems to be a message to kids to use their creativity to the max. The book’s illustrations also were very important to me because the picture helped move the story along but did not tell the story alone. My favorite illustration was the pages that had all of the go-cart kits with the names of the students on them because it could have been looked over that every student got the same box but it added a new level to the illustration.
Extension Ideas:
1. One idea would be to make a kit with the same things in every box. Give the boxes out to the students and tell them to use what is in the box to create their own creation.
2. Allow for the students to write about what sparks their imagination; for example, if books or T.V. or walking outside.

a boy and a girl build a flying machine to win an race and they win!
3 books

The book "Going Places" is a fiction book about thinking outside the box and pushing yourself to be the best you can. I loved this book. I found the illustrations amazing, they brought the story to life. During the times when the character wasn't being creative the pages were dull but when he was inspired and pushing himself the pages lite up with color and shapes. I enjoyed the writing style of this book. The sentences were not to overwhelmingly long, yet had some challenging vocabulary. I think that the writing style is excellent, the story is light and fun yet not too easy. The big idea of this book was to show that following the crowd is not always a good thing, branching out and thinking outside the box can lead to some amazing things.