Eight Keys

Eight Keys By Suzanne LaFleur

Grades 4-8

Elise lives with her aunt and uncle because her parents died when she was young. Behind the house is a large barn and on the second story of the barn there are eight locked doors. Elise and her best friend Franklin are getting bullied at school and she is having an identity crisis growing up without her parents and not feeling like she truly fits in anywhere. When she discovers a key that unlocks on of the barn's doors she begins a journey of self-discovery. Her father, before he died of cancer, filled each of the 8 rooms with special memories of himself, Elise's mother and Elise. This is a tear-jerker and a book I have yet to recommend to a student who didn't also become fascinated with Elise and her life. As she learns about where she came from she begins to have a sense of self-worth and matures in many ways.

A Horse of Her Own

A Horse of Her Own By Annie Wedekind

Grades 4-8

I'm not a horse lover, I've never even ridden a horse, but it didn't prevent me from absolutely falling in love with this book.  This is a story about Jane who has been riding horses at Sunny Acres for years. However unlike many of the girls who ride there her family doesn't have enough money to buy her a horse of her own. She rides Beau and forms a strong attachment to him. When she finds out she is no longer going to be able to ride Beau she is devastated. She is offered the challenge of training a feisty horse instead named Lancelot. Jane is up for the challenge and becomes a stronger rider and a stronger young woman throughout the process. She learns a lot about herself and what it means to be true to yourself and not bend to fit in with the popular girls. She develops her first crush on one of the boys who takes care of the horses. All in all just a wonderful chapter book for your girls who want real-life characters and a plot that keeps you turning the pages.

The Perfect Gift

The Perfect Gift By Mary Newell DePalma

Grades K-3

Little Lorikeet found a strawberry that the larger lorikeets had missed. She is going to bring it to her grandmother as a gift but it plops into the river. A chipmunk, goose and frog all try to help her get the strawberry back. But when they finally do an alligator pounces and Lori must use the strawberry to help them all escape his hungry grasp. With the strawberry gone now what will poor Lori give to her grandmother? She and her new friends make a beautiful book telling about their adventure and grandmother adores their thoughtful gift.

Lesson Seed: Use this book when kicking off writer's workshop small moment writing. It will serve as a reminder that we can all write about our everyday lives and adventures with friends (even if our days don't involve escaping the clutches of an alligator!).

Emma Kate

Emma Kate by Patricia Polacco

Grades K-4

A sweet tale of friendship between a girl and an elephant. What makes it memorable and special is when you find out at the end that **spoiler alert** it's not the girl telling the story about her pet elephant, it's the elephant telling the story about her pet human. Patricia Polacco has done it again. As if there was any doubt...

Best Friends Forever

Best Friends Forever - A World War II Scrapbook By Beverly Patt

Grades 4-8

Best Friends Forever is a stellar example of a first person narrative for your upper elementary or middle school students. It is set up to look just like an actual journal with pasted or taped in photographs, newspaper clippings, pressed flowers, ticket stubs, invitations and even a bandaid. It's a World War II scrapbook kept between two girls who are best friends. Louise Margaret Krueger is a 14 year old white American girl and Dottie Masuoka (also 14) is a Japanese American girl. When Dottie and her family are sent to internment camps during the war the girls keep this journal of notes and letters back and forth as a way to stay in touch. It covers the time period on World War II beautifully and explains the horrors of the internment camps, but also doesn't lose sight of the fact that it's truly about these two friends and what is important to them in their early teen years. Whether you're looking for historical fiction, journal writing, or just a great story of friendship I would highly recommend sharing this one with your female students

Dog in Charge

Dog in Charge By K.L. Going

Grades K-3

Another fabulous dog story! Dog is put in charge by his owners to watch all five cats that live with him. The cats are causing so much trouble and making a mess. Dog is sure when his owners get home he'll be in big trouble and will never be put in charge again. Luckily the cats love Dog and clean everything up in the nick of time. They are mischievous, but they love their friend Dog. The cartoons and layout are somewhat reminiscent of a comic strip but since the layout is very large it's great for a classroom or library read aloud. Nothing is too small or cluttered to see from afar. 

Discussion Seed: This is a great book to stop and ask the students for predictions. I would ask them to predict what they think will happen when the dog is put in charge of 5 cats. I'd also stop and ask my students to predict what will happen when the cats make such a mess and the dog becomes distraught. I think the twist at the end with the cats quickly fixing everything while the dog naps is a good surprise that the children will laugh at and not expect.

What Is Your Dog Doing?

What Is Your Dog Doing? By Marilyn Singer

Grades PreK-3

At my school the dog books, both fiction and non-fiction fly off the shelves. I can't buy enough of them to suit my students. If you have some dog lovers consider this one. Most pages are a short phrase with a rhyming phrase on the opposite page. A few of the pages are a double spread. The illustrations are cartoon-like and very brightly colored. Even though the text is simplistic making it a perfect choice for young emerging readers, the fun illustrations and rhyming patterns make it suitable for older students as well. I know this one will be a hit and I am excited to read it to my kindergarten next week.

Dog inspecting (police dog sniffing a Burgertown paper sack)
Dog protecting (dog keeping his bone away from a big cat)

Dog that knows the way to guide (seeing eye dog)
Dog that knows just where to hide (dog behind living room curtains)