A Christmas Tree for Pyn

A Christmas Tree for Pyn by Olivier Dunrea

Grades K-3

Pyn lives in a cabin in the woods with her gruff, large father. She is small and sweet and your heart breaks a little bit as you read about how her father speaks to her. Not mean, just distant. All Pyn wants is a Christmas tree like the ones she sees down in the village. Her father is noncommittal and you find yourself pulling for this sweet girl. In the end the true Christmas miracle isn't the tree her father cuts down for her, but the love he starts showing and the bond they begin to form. Heartwarming, tender, beautifully illustrated...everything a holiday book should be!

How do I decide?

For those of you that regularly read my book reviews you might wonder how I decide what to pick. You might wonder why none of my reviews are negative. You might be thinking to yourself does this woman love EVERY book? In a word: no. In two words: definitely not! 

I have read tons of children's books that just don't float my boat. And I won't be reviewing any of them here. That's not what this site is about. I am not here to bash authors or books. If I come across something that I don't like or wouldn't use at home or in my school library I just won't mention it. There's enough negativity in this world without me adding to it. 

My focus is solely to highlight books that I find interesting, funny, valuable, creative and a delight to read either alone or aloud to others. I hope that my reviews can introduce parents, teachers, librarians or any book lover to something new. Or maybe I might remind you of a book you once loved and had forgotten about, or give you a new idea of how it can be used with your children or class. 

I don't get paid by anyone to write these reviews. I am reviewing these books and pairing them with discussion ideas, crafts, etc. because as a school librarian that's what I love to do. I am passionate about literature and when I come across something that I think is worth sharing that's exactly what I'll do. If you have any questions or comments please don't hesitate to write to me. I'd love to hear from more of you!

Battle of the Books 2012-2013

Tuesdays at the Castle by Jessica Day George  
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.

Granny Torrelli Makes Soup by Sharon Creech  
Grades 3-5 

Rosie and her best friend Bailey learn some important lessons about friendship, loyalty, and communication from Rosie's sweet Granny. 
 

The Mystery of the Missing Everything by Ben H. Winters 
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.

The Lemonade War by Jacqueline Davies
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. 
 

The Kid Who Ran for President by Dan Gutman  
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.
 

Savvy by Ingrid Law
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.

Rules by Cynthia Lord
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.
 

Toys Go Out by Emily Jenkins  
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.
 

Lafcadio: The Lion Who Shot Back by Shel Silverstein  
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. 
 

Fergus Crane by Paul Stewart and Chris Riddell  
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. 
 

How to Steal a Dog by Barbara O’Connor  
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.
 

Nerd Camp by Elissa Brent Weissman 
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.

 

No Easy Way: The Story of Ted Williams and the Last .400 Season by Fred Bowen 
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.

The Fingertips of Duncan Dorfman by Meg Wolitzer 
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.

Similes

 Quick as a Cricket By Audrey Wood

Grades K-3

Quick as a Cricket is a fantastic book if you're teaching children how to write similes, but it is also a wonderful stand-alone read aloud about how we all have different moods and can feel one way one day and completely different on another. Don Wood's illustrations make this story even more special; he is so gifted.

Lesson Seed: Use the worksheet below, or create a similar one yourself in order for your students to make their own similes. This one is from www.smileplaylearn.com and I think it's awesome! Another idea if you're reading this book to younger children is to allow them to act out each animal in the book as you read it. That will make for a much more boisterous storytime, but if the students are having fun that's what it's all about!

My Best Friend is as Sharp as a Pencil By Hanoch Piven

Grades K-4

I can't write a posting about similes and leave My best Friend is as Sharp as a Pencil off the list. Not only does this book use tons of similes like my teacher is "as relaxed as my favorite pair of jeans", but the whole book uses objects like marbles, candies, crayons, bells and rubber bands to make collage portraits. 

Lesson Seed: Have students make their own portrait collages using photographs of everyday objects cut out of magazines. The objects they cut out should represent things about themselves. For instance a baseball and a tennis ball forming the eyes of a sports lover. I think this would be a fabulous getting to know you lesson for September with 3rd or 4th graders. It's like making their own personal Mr. Potato Heads!

Wumbers

Wumbers By Amy Krouse Rosenthal

Grades 1 and up

Wumbers are a mix of a word with a number. This isn't a book that tells a story, it's more of a game. Wri10 by Rosenthal who is coming out with some of the best and most cre8ive works right now for kids it will definitely get kids thinking. Each 2 page spread is an illustr8ion and a sentence using words with numbers replacing some of the letters. For example a penguin bride and groom are getting married and it says, "When you m8 4ever, it 10ds 2 be a 4mal affair."

Lesson Seed: Read this book with your students then have them create their own wumbers and illustrations to make a class book.

Sit-In

Sit-In By Andrea David Pinkney

Grades 3-7

Teaching about the Civil Rights Movement can be difficult with young students that don't grasp what it was like to live during segregation. Sit-In does a wonderful job of showing the unfair treatment of blacks in the south and how a peaceful movement inspired by Dr. Martin Luther King's words slowly brought an end to segregation. I love how the author used a recipe metaphor throughout the book.

Here are Andrea Davis Pinkney's steps for the recipe for integration:

1. Start with love.

2. Add conviction.

3. Season with hope.

4. Extra faith to flavor.

5. Mix black people with white people.

6. Let unity stand.

7. Fold in change.

8. Sprinkle with dignity.

9. Bake until golden.

10. Serve immediately.

Makes enough for all.

Beautiful - Important - Inspiring

Brothers at Bat

Brothers at Bat - The True Story of an Amazing All-Brother Baseball Team By Audrey Vernick

Grades 1-5

12 Brothers - 1 Baseball team - right here in New Jersey. The Acerra family had 16 children, 12 of them were boys who played baseball. Playing as kids throughout the 1920s and then as adults until 1952 this family became quite famous. They were honored at the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1997. Unlike most baseball books about famous players this one highlights an entire family and their love for each other as well as the game of baseball.