Grades 3-6
Fabulous Fantasy! Girl Power! Action and Adventure! It's all here. Princess Celie's favorite days at her home are Tuesdays. It's on Tuesdays that the castle changes, adding new rooms, or entire wings. The castle is magic and is ever changing. When Celie's parents, the king and queen are attacked she must try to figure out what has happened and if they are even still alive. She also must defend the castle against neighboring kingdoms who wish to take over her beloved home. A total page-turner.
Grades 3-5
Rosie and her best friend Bailey learn some important lessons about friendship, loyalty, and communication from Rosie's sweet Granny.
Grades 3-6
Bethesda Fielding, self appointed detective, must solve the mystery at Mary Todd Lincoln Middle School where a trophy has been stolen from the glass case in the front hall. Luckily she has some help while doing her sleuthing from her friend Tenny. Lots of suspect interviews and leads keep the reader guessing up until the very end.
Grades 2-5
Told in alternating viewpoints this is a book about sibling rivalry. Evan (people smart) and his younger sister Jessie (math smart) end up competing during a heat-wave to see who can make more money with a lemonade stand. The result is a funny competition that also gives business tips and math "lessons" along the way. This book flies off the shelf at my school (even before I selected it as a Battle of the Books pick and appeals equally to both my boy and girl students.
Grades 2-4
This is a typical Dan Gutman book, and by that I mean: funny dialogue, relatable characters, focused on school/friends. I picked this one since it was an election year and I thought it would be interesting to learn a bit about the process of running for government. It will be one of the quicker reads for my 4th and 5th graders, but a definite romp.
Grades 4-7
I just love this book! I can't wait to read Scumble, also by Ingrid Law, to enjoy more of her vivid writing. This is the story of Mibs Beaumont and the supernatural power that she obtains on her 13th birthday. In the Beaumont family each member gets a Savvy (power) when they turn 13 and each time it's different. Mibs' father is in the hospital and she is hoping that her Savvy will in some way be able to heal him and bring him back home. She goes on quite an adventure trying to get to her father and meets some zany characters on the way. It's no wonder why this book got a Newbery Honor award.
Grades 4-7
Catherine's brother David has autism. This fact affects every aspect of her life. As much as she loves and protects her brother sometimes she wishes he was "normal". Throughout the story Catherine gives rules to her brother to help him navigate life. Rules like keep your mouth closed when chewing food, don't put toys in the fish tank, and always say thank you when someone gives you a present - even if you don't like it. The characters in this book are so real! I picked this book for my students this year in the hopes that it would open their eyes to autism in a very touching way.
Grades 2-4
This is a collection of linked short stories about a plastic ball, a stuffed stingray and a stuffed buffalo. These funny friends are reminiscent of Winnie the Pooh in the way they teach other lessons, care about each other and have their own distinct personalities. I love when they talk about their fear of the washing machine.
Grades 3-5
About to be shot by a hunter, the young lion begs for his life to be spared, even offers to come to the hunter's house and lie on the floor in front of the fireplace to be a rug. All to no avail, so the lion does what any lion would do. He eats the hunter and takes his gun home. Lafcadio becomes a world famous sharp-shooter (marshmallow obsessed and suit-wearing!) and as the book goes on he becomes more like a human and less like a lion. Very interesting characterization.
Grades 3-5
Fergus Crane attends school on a clipper ship, with pirates for teachers and a mother who works in a bakery. When his school leaves port with all his classmates on it he begins an adventure trying to rescue them from the villainous pirates that have more on their minds than education. Mechanical winged horses, mysterious winged boxes, walking chairs, talking penguins, this book has it all! The illustrations add so much to the pleasure of reading this book.
Grades 4-7
Georgina Hayes is living in a car with her mother and little brother, Toby ever since dad walked out and they were evicted from their apartment. Working two jobs to find a new place to live has her mother over-worked and occupied. Georgina is left taking after Toby and feeling despondent. A missing dog poster offering a $500 award gives her the idea to "steal" a local neighbor's dog. She doesn't plan on keeping it, just borrowing it for a few days until she can return it and collect the money. Not all plans go smoothly though, as Georgina soon finds out.
Grades 4-7
When Gabe finds out that he has been accepts into the Summer Center for Gifted Enrichment he is beyond excited. Then he has the horrifying thought that his new step-brother who is from California and is super cool will find out and think that Gabe is just a big nerd. Gabe has a blast at summer camp making new friends, even a budding romance and he also learns a lot about himself, what "cool" really means and how to be honest with others even when it might be the hardest thing to do.
Life
in the Ocean: The Story of Oceanographer Sylvia Earle by
Claire A. Nivola
Grades 2-5
This is my biography pick for the year. I loved the illustrations and how it reads like a picture book story, not at all like a dry biography. Sylvia falls in love with water and wildlife as a child. She turns this passion into a career and an environmental crusade.
Grades 2-5
This is my biography pick for the year. I loved the illustrations and how it reads like a picture book story, not at all like a dry biography. Sylvia falls in love with water and wildlife as a child. She turns this passion into a career and an environmental crusade.
No
Easy Way: The Story of Ted Williams and the Last .400 Season by
Fred Bowen
Grades 2-5
Grades 2-5
In a time when lots of athletes aren't truly demonstrating model behavior or sportsmanship it i nice to read about Ted Williams and his feat of hitting .406 in the 1941 season. His tale of perseverance is inspirational. Reading about someone's extreme success is so exciting.
Grades 4-7
This story follows three seemingly unconnected kids Duncan Dorfman, April Blunt, and Nate Saviano. Duncan is living with his single mom and odd Aunt. He has a superpower of being able to use hi fingertips to feel letters and words without looking at them. Not a very useful skill, unless you're playing Scrabble and picking letter tiles. April is constantly striving to be seen as more than a big nerd in her family of super jocks. Nate is struggling with his father's decision to homeschool him and live up to his constant demands for perfection. These three kids meet in Florida during a Scrabble Tournament and as they become friends and competitors they learn about themselves more than the game they love.
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