Mr. George Baker by Amy Hest
As if I didn’t already adore the words of Amy Hest, my adoration was sealed with this book, Mr. George Baker. Written at a level for younger readers, Mr. George Baker is a 100 year old man who is going to school to learn how to read, just like his small friend Harry. They wait for the school bus together each morning, and this story tells of the world and each other as they wait.
The description is perfect and ripe for discussion with younger and older readers. And the idea of authors inventing new words like ‘hangy’ and ‘twisty’–beyond powerful for kids to see.
“I really like his sweater, all hangy with three buttons.”
“There’s candy in those pockets. Little chocolate candies in twisty silver wrappers.”
wow…
Pictures of Hollis Woods by Patricia Reilly Giff
I’ve been eyeing the cover of this book for some time now, and what really intrigued me was that there is not one word of information on the back nor the inside cover as to what it is about. Not a hint. This mystery plus a raving review from a 5th grader named Isabel convinced me to tuck it in my bag.
And what a book. I just love Hollis Woods’ character. She’s a feisty foster kid with a huge talent for drawing who is determined to not show just how much she longs for a family of her own. A big part of the book centers on her regrets of the one chance she had to truly have a loving family and how she blew it. I was taken by surprise by many of the twists and turns in the story, and I could just picture students on the edge of their seats during a readaloud. Hollis Woods would be such a perfect choice for a social issues unit.
The Dog Who Belonged to No One by Amy Hest
Soft, gentle, warm, evocative: it seems everything Amy Hest writes is just oozing with all these qualities. The Dog Who Belonged to No One is a charming story of a dog who has no one and a girl who is lonely and how they find each other. But it’s not just any girl meets dog book–the language and imagery is nothing short of stunning. When I read it with first graders, we talked about what the pictures in our mind were (warm bread, soft porch light, curled up in the rain…) It is told in see-saw fashion with one page describing the dog and one page describing the girl, Lia. Lots of layers to this book and a fantastic mentor text.
Truly Winnie by Jennifer Richard Jacobson, ill. by Alissa Imre Geis
Look at that cover. Don’t you just want to meet this girl? She just looks like someone I would like to know. This first in a series of books introduces us to the character of Winnie. She’s off to a summer camp with her two best friends, but during that time she makes a few mistakes and learns some valuable lessons. What I love about this book is that it is about such real stuff–from being afraid to be without your best friends to kind of wanting to be without them to explore things on your own to inventing stories about your life to impress others. Everything that happened in Truly Winnie had me nodding my head and thinking, “Yep, that could totally happen!” and that kind of book just appeals so much to a certain type of reader (me! among many others). I can’t wait to read more Winnie books to learn more about how she is so good at art and to also see if some of her new camp friends are continuing characters. If you are a fan of Ivy and Bean or Just Grace, this is another series to add to your reading pile!
The Witch Catcher by Mary Downing Hahn
My vacation pile of reading is dwindling a bit, and I pulled out this book that was a recommendation from Ingrid, a super reader in 4th grade with whom I have tons of great reading conversations. Fantasy/magic is not often my genre of choice, but I trust her and she always takes my recommendations, so I owed her one. Ingrid assured me I would love the book, and she knows me pretty well as a reader.
She was so right! The Witch Catcher was enchanting, with just the right amount of magic and mystery to keep me interested the whole way through. From meeting fairies to changing into the form of animals to going up against a witch pretending to be in love with her dad, Jen was brave and heroic while trying to save the fairies and her father. Now I’m fascinated by the idea of a witch catcher (the author was too, and that’s why she wrote the book–that’s it on the cover). For those looking for an awesome fantasy read, definitely check this one out!
Welcome 2010! I’ve joined my very first reading challenge hosted by J. Kaye, and the goal is to read 100 books from today until December 31, 2010. I love it! I’m already thinking that a student version would be a great idea. Is anyone doing this already? Perhaps various levels of challenge and kids pick what they are comfortable with? 20, 30, 40, 50? Sounds like a fun challenge for students. I will keep a running list of books I’ve read on the sidebar. Just to kick it off, I spent a huge part of today rereading a favorite book of mine called The Bean Trees by Barbara Kingsolver. I almost forgot how great rereading is…
ISB students–anyone game for a reading challenge? 5th graders, you could keep a running list on your blog sidebar!
The Recess Queen by Alexis O’ Neill
We’ve all known one of these playground bully types like the main character in this great book. “Mean Jean”, the Recess Queen, is the one who rules the playground and everyone else lives in fear of her. Enter the new girl, Katie Sue–tiny, red pigtails sticking out–who doesn’t know the rules and gives Mean Jean a run for her money. It ties up nicely in the end but didn’t feel contrived at all to me. I love the lesson of this book and the language is gorgeous (lollapasmoosh is one of my new favorite words. I just need to figure out where to use it…) This falls into the “every kid should read this book before s/he leaves elementary school” category.
Who Hops? by Katie Davis
So much fun! We love this book in our house and have fits of giggles when reading it. The book appears like a teaching book, “Frogs hop. Rabbits hop. Kangaroos hop.” and then Katie adds a random animal that doesn’t hop–”Cows hop.” An extra fact is tucked in with the chorus of “NO THEY DON’T!” With the brilliantly simple, colorful illustrations that pop off the page plus the added silliness, it’s a sure-fire hit with the little ones.
Umbrella Summer by Lisa Graff (same author as The Thing About Georgie, another great book)
Let the vacation reading begin! A favorite from my reading pile so far, Umbrella Summer had me hooked from the beginning. Annie’s brother Jared died in a sudden and rather freakish accident involving a hockey puck, and her way of coping is to become extremely (and I mean extremely!) careful about everything in life. From constantly thinking she has some sort of rare tropical disease to not riding her bike down hills, Annie is not living life to the fullest anymore. Along her journey as a character, she meets an unlikely friend who helps her heal and deal with both death and life. This would be a wonderful character change readaloud for older grades, but for those of you out there that love a deep realistic fiction that makes you cry (but good tears mixed in with the painful ones), this book is for you.
And just wait until you find out the meaning of the ‘umbrella summer.’
Suddenly! by Colin McNaughton
Another gem I stumbled upon while weeding the shelves! Super short and oh-so-funny, Suddenly! tells the tale of a pig being stalked by a big bad wolf on his way to the market. However, every time the wolf pounces, the pig suddenly (get it?) makes a quick turn to the left or forgets something in the house and turns back, leaving the poor wolf in a heap on the floor. This would be a great mentor text for transition words or just for good ol’fashioned fun. Any fans of Wile E. Coyote will adore this book.
