Mockingbird

Mockingbird is a touching story that should not be missed. Caitlin has Asperger's syndrome and for her everything is straightforward, black and white with no inbetween. She has trouble making friends and turns to textbooks for answers. But the tragic death of her brother causes her to seach for closure for herself and her father. Kathryn Erskine creates a story with warmth and insight.

My Life as a Book

After a break from blogging, I'm starting back.

I want to highly recommend the book: My Life as a Book by Janet Tashjian.

Derek is a reluctant reader who finds himself in a Learning Camp for the summer with three books to read. Derek is an active boy who loves to draw. He discovers a family mystery from the past which causes him to see that stories are all around.

This book would be great for fans of Diary of the Whimpy Kids. The nicely paced story with sketches in the margins, will entice readers to become engaged in Derek's story.

Rule of Three

Have you ever been in competition with your sister? Megan McDonald writes a story about three sisters, Alex, Stevie, and Joey, discovering who they are in the second book of the Sisters Club series, Rule of Three.

I was a little hesitant to read this one, for fear of it being typical but was pleasantly surprised. The characters were warm and realistic. Each sister had her area of strength and through the difficulty of Alex and Stevie wanting to both star in the class musical, they learn to value those strengths. Middle school girls will sympathize with these characters. Anyone who has a sister will see themselves in some small way feeling a part the of the Sisters Club.

Dying to Meet You

This is a fun ghost story that kids will enjoy. I.B. Grumply has rented an old house to finish writing a book because he is stuffering from writer's block. Little does he know that it is already occupied by a young boy, Seymour, and his friend Olive, the ghost of the former homeowner. This makes Grumply's problem even worse. What will he do?

What makes the story light hearted and quirky are the unique names of the characters and how the story is told. The author presents the story through letters and emails between each character. This extraordinary book will be a hit with kids!

Winnie's War

I just finished reading Winnie's War by Jenny Moss. It is a historical fiction set in 1918 in my neighborhood of Houston/Galveston. Winnie is the oldest of 3 girls who lives with a troubled mother, quiet father, and controlling grandmother. Spanish Influenza is spreading in the area and Winnie feels compelled to keep her family safe from this deadly disease.

The writing is smooth and descriptive. The characters are well developed and believable. I was engaged throughout the entire story wanting answers along with Winnie and feeling fear for her family.

I would recommend this book for fifth graders and older. I think it's a winner in the historical genre.

Humphrey

Adventure According to Humphrey 

by Betty Birney is the latest in the Humphrey series of books. Humphrey and his classmates are setting sail for adventure.  They are learning about making boats and getting them to sail. Humphrey is visiting the library to learn everything he can about building sea worthy boats. The will take their boats to the local park to see which sails the best in the pond. Humphrey is there along for the ride.

I love these series of books about Humphrey. He is a classroom pet hamster who learns with the children and keeps a journal of information.  Kids will love him and his curiosity.  This series of books had a lot of appeal for second to fourth graders.  

Surprises According to Humphrey is on the Texas Bluebonnet Award Master List for this year.  Humphrey is a winner with kids!

Kenny and the Dragon by Tony DiTerlizzi is a fun and light-hearted story of a young rabbit, Kenny, who meets and befriends a dragon. Grahame is not your typical dragon because he loves poetry, books, and music.  Word gets out that a dragon is near the village and the people send a dragon slayer to kill Grahame. Kenny must make some tough decisions to save his friend. This story is based on the classic tale, The Reluctant Dragon. Older elementary kids will enjoy this fantasy.  

Lost and Found is the latest book from Andrew Clements. It is the story of identical twins, Jay and Ray Grayson, trying to find their individuality. They have moved to a new school, so when Jay goes to school while Ray is at home sick, Jay feels like a real individual.  But when the school makes a mistake and only Jay is enrolled and not Ray, the plan begins. They decide to share the identity of Jay. The twins switch days going to school but soon begin to face complications.

Clements writes a well paced story with lots of kid appeal. This would be a great book for third to sixth graders.

Dog Gone

Dog Gone by Cynthia Chapman Willis is a touching story of a young girl, Dill, dealing with the loss of her mother. Everything has changed around her house. Her special attachment to their dog, Dead End, becomes stronger because he was her mother's dog. Then, Dead End runs off and is suspected to be part of a dog pack attacking livestock in their rural town. Her grandfather is seriously ill while her father is busy trying to keep the family business running. With her friend, Cub, they try to catch Dead End to hide him from the townspeople. Through these events, Dill must face head on her loss.  

This is a nicely paced story that will touch readers' hearts. I would recommend if for 4th graders and above.

The Gollywhopper Games

The Gollywhopper Games

by

Jody Feldman

If you want fun and lighthearted adventure, please choose this book to read!  It is a cross between  Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and Chasing Vermeer. Gil, the hero of our story, wants to win the Gollywhopper Games held by the Golly Toy Company. He wants to win enough money for his family to move out of town because the last year of his life has been miserable.  He father was falsely accused for stealing money for the Golly Toy Company, thus hurting the character of him and his family.

This story is full of puzzles, contests, teamwork, and friendship! Will Gil get what he wants?  You must read it to find out!

The Postcard

The Postcard is Tony Abbott's newest book.  After reading Firegirl, I was excited about reading his newest book.  These books have quite different plots but both are filled with strong writing.  

The Postcard is a mystery that will keep you turning pages.  It involves a family on the brink of falling apart, filled with secrets, with clues in a mysterious magazine story.

Fourth - Sixth graders who loves mysteries, will find this book a winner!

  

Elijah of Buxton

It was refreshing to read Elijah of Buxton by Christopher Paul Curtis. Refreshing in that the depth of the character development of Elijah was superb. The desciption of the events and the characters pulls you into the story as if you are there with Elijah, fishing, going to the carnival, riding to Michigan to help a friend, or holding a small baby in your arms. Curtis makes you feel as Elijah feels. That's refreshing! Was it a nice, no brainer story to read? No, because it causes you to ponder on events of the past and what decisions you would make in Elijah's place. This is a realistic story with much to say, yet filled with some light hearted moments to make you smile. I would recommed it for mature fourth graders and older.
Elijah is a 12 year old boy living in Buxton, Canada in the 1840s. He is the first child born free in the settlement of former slaves. He deals with growing up wanting to be older, yet so tender hearted he's know as being fragile. He is a boy of good character and faces some difficult decisions. He sees first hand the sadness of slavery and the love of a family and community.
I really loved this book!

The Invention of Hugo Cabret

I think this book could be one of the best "hook" books around. I just showed the first few pages to some students and read the first page of text and they were hooked! They all wanted to check it out. How creative of Brian Selznick to design a new type of book. It's a cross between a graphic novel, fiction, and picture book. He tells the story through illustrations and words. It's uniqueness is attractive to reluctant readers and inspiring to avid readers alike. The thickness of it might scare some readers but they will definitely be won over as they open the first page. The art work is amazing and I love how he tells the story through the pictures and doesn't just illustrate the text. What a great way to build inferencing skills than by "reading" the story through pictures. I am excited to be able to share this book with my students and happy to see it on the Texas Bluebonnet Book list for 2007-2008.

No Talking

Most teachers have had a class like the fifth grade class of "Unshushables" in Andrew Clements new book No Talking. This is a book that teachers and students alike can relate to. Kids love to talk and teachers want silence in class. A contest between the boys and girls begins with the main characters, Dave and Lynsey, because both believe that each talk way too much. So, all the fifth graders can't talk for two days. When at school, they may only respond to teachers with three word sentences. The teachers wonder what is going on with these students. So who do you think talks the most? Who wins the contest? Kids will enjoy reading this book to find out.
I think it would be fun for some brave teachers to try this for one day in their class. It would be a challenge to respond with just three words. Students would learn the value of good communication. What learning possibilities!

Moxy Maxwell Does Not Love Stuart Little

I just love Moxy Maxwell! She is assigned to read Stuart Little for her summer reading and she's out of time. She does everything else but read the book before the first day of school. She loves to read but not what others tell her to read. She reminds me a little of myself! I tend to be a procrastinator when it comes to things I don't want to do, so I understand Moxy's thinking. The voice and character development in this story draw you in as Moxy thinks of every excuse (some quite creative and funny) for not reading the book. Students will love this story with it humorous events. I would highly recommend it!