The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane by Kate DiCamillo
If you are looking for a book to read aloud to your 2nd or 3rd or even 4th grade classroom this is it! The book chronicals the journey of a china rabbit who loses his way. It begins becuase he doesn't know how to love anyone but himself and ends with him discovering what love really is. Very well written and easy for students to visualize the story. Will definitely bring about discussion. This book is in my top 5 of all children's books!
Only disclaimer I will make is that there is the death of a young child in the book but it is handled and written about very well. I don't want to tell more and give it away so just read it first before reading to your students so you will know what to expect. It is definitely a sad moment.
Only disclaimer I will make is that there is the death of a young child in the book but it is handled and written about very well. I don't want to tell more and give it away so just read it first before reading to your students so you will know what to expect. It is definitely a sad moment.
The Tiger Rising by Kate DiCamillo
This is a quick read about a sad boy and his angry and sad friend named Sissy. Before the story starts, the boy's mother dies and his father gave up on life and moved them far from home and family to work in a run down motel. Rob, the boy, is out of school with a rash and discovers a tiger being kept in a cage behind the motel. The story centers around the caged animal and how things shouldn't be kept in cages or locked up, just as Rob has his emotions locked up since the death of his mother. There is a sad, yet wonderful ending where Rob and his father both finally let go of their sadness.
The Invention of Hugo Cabret by Brian Selznick
First of all, I have to give this book a great big WOW! It is uniquely done with the storyline being both in words and very vivid pictures. The size of the book rivals any Harry Potter book and will make your young reader feel "cool" carrying it around! But it really is not that long of a book as far as the reading goes. I read it in one day over the period of about an hour.
In this story, a boy named Hugo loses his amazing clockmaking father in a disasterous fire. Before dying, he showed Hugo a magical mechanical man that he had found and wanted to fix. Hugo tries alone to figure out how to fix it while also trying not to get sent to an orphanage. He meets a young girl and her grandfather who happened to have several pieces to the mystery of the mechanical man. The story goes on to show you how these two characters figure in to Hugo's life. Very good read and also one I would read out loud to a classroom of 2nd, 3rd, or 4th graders.
In this story, a boy named Hugo loses his amazing clockmaking father in a disasterous fire. Before dying, he showed Hugo a magical mechanical man that he had found and wanted to fix. Hugo tries alone to figure out how to fix it while also trying not to get sent to an orphanage. He meets a young girl and her grandfather who happened to have several pieces to the mystery of the mechanical man. The story goes on to show you how these two characters figure in to Hugo's life. Very good read and also one I would read out loud to a classroom of 2nd, 3rd, or 4th graders.
The King of Mulberry Street by Donna Jo Napoli
Magnificant book based on true historical events in New York City in the early 1800's. However, I have twice found this book in elementary libraries and feel that it should not be read before 6th or 7th grade. The book is about a young boy who finds his way to America alone. All the young boys he meets in New York are all "slaves" who had their passages paid for in exchange for their labor. The book goes into great detail on the treatment of these young boys and that is why I say it is not for younger readers. There is a spot in the book that discusses one of their friends being beaten to death (including talk of blood smears and knives) and others being chained up and starved. Very vivid! But this book is in my top 5. A wonderful read if the students are the right age.
Stones In Water by Donna Jo Napoli
What a powerful book! But again, as with her book King of Mulberry Street, this book is a much older read than you might expect. I would not have students read it before 6th or 7th grade even though it is found in many elementary libraries. This book would be considered historical fiction and covers WWII and the concentration camps, hatred for Jews, and any one different.
In this story, a young Italian boy is "kidnapped" with his brother and some friends to work in labor camps during the German war. They were taken far from home, starved, and left to fend off the elements with only potatoe sacks and the clothes they were kidnapped in. The story covers the hardships the boys endure, very vividly. In the end, the main character is proven very courageous. I do not want to give any more of it away so read it before you assign it to any students so you can be sure of the level.
Disclaimers of issues in the book - there is death of young boys, shootings with vivid details of how and what it looked like, an issue with circumcision, and a spot of drunkenness by the soldiers.
In this story, a young Italian boy is "kidnapped" with his brother and some friends to work in labor camps during the German war. They were taken far from home, starved, and left to fend off the elements with only potatoe sacks and the clothes they were kidnapped in. The story covers the hardships the boys endure, very vividly. In the end, the main character is proven very courageous. I do not want to give any more of it away so read it before you assign it to any students so you can be sure of the level.
Disclaimers of issues in the book - there is death of young boys, shootings with vivid details of how and what it looked like, an issue with circumcision, and a spot of drunkenness by the soldiers.
The Tale of Despereaux by Kate DiCamillo
What a wonderful and enchanting story. In this book a little mouse becomes a big hero! But before that can happen, he is first banished from the mouse world becuase he is very different from the others. The book touches well on the topic of being different. Despereaux, instead of being down about the fate of his life, embraces his different-ness and ends of saving the life of a princess. Wonderful book as a read aloud to grades 2 or 3 or a great read for 3rd, 4th, or 5th grade students.
The only disclaimer I will give about this story is that there is a young girl who is beaten so severally by her "owner" that her ears look like cauliflower and she can no longer hear properly. There is also a touch of scary reading during the dungeon times with Despereaux seeing the bones of other mice who were banished to the dungeon before him as well as tufts of fur lying all around.
The only disclaimer I will give about this story is that there is a young girl who is beaten so severally by her "owner" that her ears look like cauliflower and she can no longer hear properly. There is also a touch of scary reading during the dungeon times with Despereaux seeing the bones of other mice who were banished to the dungeon before him as well as tufts of fur lying all around.
Diary of a Whimpy Kid - Series
This series of books are a wonderful comedic release for the 4th through 7th grade group of students. The series goes through the life of an average middle school boy and all the crazy things that happen to you when you are 12. He isn't unpopular, but he isn't popular either and has been put in his share of lockers. Written through the eyes of a middle schooler in diary format and they are filled with many, many laughs. No disclaimers at all to be noted for this series. Your kids will love it, whether they are boys or girls.
The Elderberry Thicket by Joan T. Zeier
In 1938 Wisconsin, when twelve-year-old Franny's father loses his job as a hired hand and has to go looking for work, the family members doubt their self-reliance as they face again the hard times they had hoped were gone for good.
Set in the depression era, this story stresses the toughness and resilience of a loving family. Also shows the lengths that people went to to support their families in the depression.
Wonderful, quick read for 4th to 7th grades.
Set in the depression era, this story stresses the toughness and resilience of a loving family. Also shows the lengths that people went to to support their families in the depression.
Wonderful, quick read for 4th to 7th grades.
True North by Kathryn Lasky
True North is another wonderful piece of historical fiction, my favorite genre! The book is set back during the underground railroad and travels along with two young girls, one in the middle of escaping slavery, and the other living in Boston who grew up privaledged. The lives of these two girls eventually collide and each learns more than they ever thought they ever know about the life of the other. There are times you will cry in this book as you read of the many tragedies and there are times you will delight in along the way. Wonderfully written and historically correct all the way through!
Disclaimer for this book is the following: there are many descriptions of how slaves are treated and not much is left to the imagination. In the beginning of the book the slave girl gives birth while trying to escape and the baby dies. There is a lot of talk about the slave dogs getting her "moon baby" with quite a few details. There is also a lot of talk about how it was that such a young child got pregnant to begin with back on the plantation by the masters. This book should be reserved for grades 7 and up.
Disclaimer for this book is the following: there are many descriptions of how slaves are treated and not much is left to the imagination. In the beginning of the book the slave girl gives birth while trying to escape and the baby dies. There is a lot of talk about the slave dogs getting her "moon baby" with quite a few details. There is also a lot of talk about how it was that such a young child got pregnant to begin with back on the plantation by the masters. This book should be reserved for grades 7 and up.
Great Joy by Kate DiCamillo
A wonderful read aloud book for the Christmas holiday. Illustrated beautifully by Bagram Ibatoulline. In the story a little girl notices a homeless person and invites him to her Christmas play. She reaches out when no one else does, not even her mother, and makes the homeless man feel welcomed.
No disclaimers whatsoever for this book.
No disclaimers whatsoever for this book.
Crow Call by Lois Lowry
Set in 1945, this picture book is about a young girl who gets to know the father she hasn't seen in all the years he's been away at war. They find a place to get to know each other on a hill calling the crows. Very well written, just as I'd expect from Lois Lowry, and illustrated by Bagram Ibatoulline. No disclaimers.
Elijah of Buxton By Christopher Paul Curtis (Author of Bud, Not Buddy)
What a wonderful and well written historical fiction book! Wow! I was intrigued from the first chapter. This book tells about the life of the first free-born black child in the free settlement of Buxton, Canada. Many of the events, characters, and all the places are real. Only the story of Elijah is fictional even though he also had things about him and his family that came from true stories.
Elijah is an 11 year old boy who is between the worlds of slave and free born and child and man. He has a lot of things to learn in life about trusting and adults. I don't want to give any of it away but I will say that the ending is amazing and brought tears to my eyes. There was a part in the middle where Elijah and his family welcomes a family of escaped slaves that actually made me cry.
Definitely a worthy read for those studying slave times and the underground railroad. Probably best read by fourth grade and up as there are some intense moments in it.
Disclaimers - there is a part in the story where a boy is pretending to be under a spell (at a side show circus) and is talked into taking off all his clothes. Very odd. The part where the escaped slaves are found is very intense and the little escaped boy even pees his pants. A man is shot and almost killed and the event is pretty well described. When Elijah goes to Michigan he comes upon a barn that is holding slaves who had tried to escape and had been captured. This is probably the hardest to read in the book. It describes the smell and how the people looked after having been beaten within an inch of their lives. One black man is hanging dead from the ceiling and it is also described in detail.
Another great review is at http://www.commonsensemedia.org/book-reviews/Elijah-Buxton.html
Elijah is an 11 year old boy who is between the worlds of slave and free born and child and man. He has a lot of things to learn in life about trusting and adults. I don't want to give any of it away but I will say that the ending is amazing and brought tears to my eyes. There was a part in the middle where Elijah and his family welcomes a family of escaped slaves that actually made me cry.
Definitely a worthy read for those studying slave times and the underground railroad. Probably best read by fourth grade and up as there are some intense moments in it.
Disclaimers - there is a part in the story where a boy is pretending to be under a spell (at a side show circus) and is talked into taking off all his clothes. Very odd. The part where the escaped slaves are found is very intense and the little escaped boy even pees his pants. A man is shot and almost killed and the event is pretty well described. When Elijah goes to Michigan he comes upon a barn that is holding slaves who had tried to escape and had been captured. This is probably the hardest to read in the book. It describes the smell and how the people looked after having been beaten within an inch of their lives. One black man is hanging dead from the ceiling and it is also described in detail.
Another great review is at http://www.commonsensemedia.org/book-reviews/Elijah-Buxton.html
Surviving the Applewhites by Stephanie S. Tolan
Wonderful quick read. The story follows a trouble making 13 year old named Jake as he's placed with a crazy but wonderful homeschooling family as a last resort before juvie hall. We watch as he's transformed by them and becomes a happy, well-adjusted kid becuase he's loved just the way he is and is allowed to learn in ways that work for him. Great lessons throughout the book.
Disclaimers - very minor. There is talk about being "suicidal" and some talk about marijuana. The boy also comes to the house smoking at age 13 but learns by the end of the book how dumb it was to be smoking and quits. The portrayal of the homeschooling family is definitely not the norm, myself having homeschooled and having known 200 other homeschooling families. There are elements of the norm however and I have no problem with the portrayal.
Also read this wonderful review by a homeschool mom and her daughter. http://libertylyceum.org/articles/applewhites.shtml
Disclaimers - very minor. There is talk about being "suicidal" and some talk about marijuana. The boy also comes to the house smoking at age 13 but learns by the end of the book how dumb it was to be smoking and quits. The portrayal of the homeschooling family is definitely not the norm, myself having homeschooled and having known 200 other homeschooling families. There are elements of the norm however and I have no problem with the portrayal.
Also read this wonderful review by a homeschool mom and her daughter. http://libertylyceum.org/articles/applewhites.shtml
The House on Mango Street by Sandra Cisneros
With this book, I will start with the disclaimer right up front becuase it is not an appropriate book for children to read. Definitely not until high school and even then I would question why the book needed to be read at all even at the high school level. The only thing this book has going for it is that it does capture the culture of a 1950's poor, urban neighborhood very well.
In this book there is child abuse, abuse of wives and women by men, grown men forcing young girls to kiss them, rape of a young girl, women being treated like prisoners by their husbands, prostitution...and more. I don't really need to go on. This list is plenty reason enough not to have this book in a children's library.
Another review on this book can be found at http://www.commonsensemedia.org/book-reviews/House-Mango-Street.html
In this book there is child abuse, abuse of wives and women by men, grown men forcing young girls to kiss them, rape of a young girl, women being treated like prisoners by their husbands, prostitution...and more. I don't really need to go on. This list is plenty reason enough not to have this book in a children's library.
Another review on this book can be found at http://www.commonsensemedia.org/book-reviews/House-Mango-Street.html
Jacob Two Two Meets the Hooded Fang
This was a surprisingly good little book. I know there is more to the series and I now plan to check them out as well. It is rare to find such a great action/adventure/fantasy book for this lower reading level that we can have out there for those boys who seem to be left out (grades 2 to 4).
This book is about a little boy who goes on an adventure to save children from the mean adults (it's all in a dream). Children had been being thrown in a prison for years for things like getting the measles when their parents had important business dinners and tripping and dropping food on the way to the table. Jacob, the little boy, gets thrown in jail and proceeds to change everything there and eventually helps the children escape.
No disclaimers to note other than one small illustration that appears to show Jacob naked. The kids I was reading the book with noticed it too and giggled. Don't know why it's drawn the way it is but just so you know ahead of time, it is there in chapter 8.
This book is about a little boy who goes on an adventure to save children from the mean adults (it's all in a dream). Children had been being thrown in a prison for years for things like getting the measles when their parents had important business dinners and tripping and dropping food on the way to the table. Jacob, the little boy, gets thrown in jail and proceeds to change everything there and eventually helps the children escape.
No disclaimers to note other than one small illustration that appears to show Jacob naked. The kids I was reading the book with noticed it too and giggled. Don't know why it's drawn the way it is but just so you know ahead of time, it is there in chapter 8.
Totally Disgusting! By Bill Wallace
What a surprise I got when reading this book! I really didn't think I was going to like it but it ended up being awesome and full of adventure! If you are a pet lover you will like it even more. The book follows the life of Mewkiss, the kitten. Along with a puppy named Barkus, they learn about being courageous and brave in the face of very scary circumstances.
I read this fast-paced book with a group of 3rd and 4th graders and they were hooked from day one. The boys really liked the book a lot which I like to see becuase there aren't a lot of great boy books out there. The cover is deceiving and cute looking but the book itself is all action and adventure.
The only disclaimer I will give is when Mewkiss and Barkus fight the rats. It gets very vivid (which the BOYS LOVED!) and talks about how the fight was to the death. Mewkiss even knows the rat is dead when he "smells death". Like I said, the cover is totally misleading.
I read this fast-paced book with a group of 3rd and 4th graders and they were hooked from day one. The boys really liked the book a lot which I like to see becuase there aren't a lot of great boy books out there. The cover is deceiving and cute looking but the book itself is all action and adventure.
The only disclaimer I will give is when Mewkiss and Barkus fight the rats. It gets very vivid (which the BOYS LOVED!) and talks about how the fight was to the death. Mewkiss even knows the rat is dead when he "smells death". Like I said, the cover is totally misleading.
Sirena By Donna Jo Napoli
The author follows suit as with her other books that I have reviewed and has written another powerful book. Not as good as the other two (Kings of Mulberry Street and Stones in Water) but still pretty good. This one is about Greek Mythology and mermaids. The story follows a mermaid named Sirena who at first is trying to trap a man to become mortal (if you know Greek mythology you know that a mermaid must be with a human man to become immortal).
DISCLAIMER: Also, as with her other books, the age level should be much higher than it is currently considered. I would not have my own children read this book before high school. There are a lot of details about how the mermaid becomes immortal and there is promiscuity among the other gods and details about that as well. There is also talk about cross breeding between different species, like gods and fish, man and bull, etc. Maybe this is the greek mythology part but I didn't feel it was appropriate for younger children. Another detail I don't really want to get into on here was the several mentions of the physical apperance of a mermaid.
DISCLAIMER: Also, as with her other books, the age level should be much higher than it is currently considered. I would not have my own children read this book before high school. There are a lot of details about how the mermaid becomes immortal and there is promiscuity among the other gods and details about that as well. There is also talk about cross breeding between different species, like gods and fish, man and bull, etc. Maybe this is the greek mythology part but I didn't feel it was appropriate for younger children. Another detail I don't really want to get into on here was the several mentions of the physical apperance of a mermaid.
Black and White by Paul Volponi
This book was a very quick read and kept my attention the whole time. It was about two high school seniors who had been best friends "forever" and who both had very promising college careers in basketball. The title is called Black and White because one of the boys is white and one is black. This fact played heavily in the story. Together they were an unstoppable team on the basketball court. However, one bad decision and their entire futures changed. This story is about what happens when you make a bad decision.
Disclaimers: There is a bit of swearing in the story and some violence. The violence consists of hold ups, guns, and riots. The age level that I would recommend for this book would definitely be high school.
Disclaimers: There is a bit of swearing in the story and some violence. The violence consists of hold ups, guns, and riots. The age level that I would recommend for this book would definitely be high school.
Half Minute Horrors by various authors
COMING SOON!