Years ago, Keith Baker came to my school as a visiting author, and I became smitten with his thoughtful and eclectic work. Mr. and Mrs. Green are up there at the top of my favorite character list. A married crocodile couple who have so much fun together and support each other in everything they do, kids just eat this series up for its silliness. My favorite chapter is when Mr. Green tries to eat 100 pancakes, and he almost can’t do it until Mrs. Green cuts the very last pancake into the shape of a star to trick him! They eat their pancakes with sprinkles inside, and ever since, we do the same in our household. This beginning chapter book series is great for strong characters.
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.
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!
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.’
Houndsley and Catina by James Howe, illustrated by Marie-Louise Gay
Cute, cute, cute! This new series of books by the author of Pinky and Rex is just so inviting and fun to read. Houndsley and Catina are two friends, a cat and a dog, who are different from each other but very sweet together. One of the things I love most about this book is that it is deep and thoughtful but is at a reading level that is accessible for many kids. Here’s an example…
“Houndsley and Catina built a fire and talked about what they saw in the flames. And then they grew still and didn’t talk at all.”
That’s just a taste of the magic. Couple his words with Marie-Louise Gay’s gorgeous illustrations, and it’s a winner.
Thanks to Ms. Chesebro for the wonderful recommendation. This book was so much fun to read! Gooney Bird Greene (don’t forget the silent ‘e!’) is new to her school and filled with amazing and somewhat crazy stories about her life. She entertains her fellow classmates with her zany tales and also encourages them to tell their own stories. A perfect readaloud for personal narrative examples as well as a strong character. Plus, with Gooney Bird’s funky clothes, I’m already thinking that she would be a fun character to dress up as on a book character day.
I’ve got a stack of great new chapter books that were raved about on other blogs, and this was one of them. The Thing About Georgie is different from other books I’ve read for a few reasons:
1) you don’t know who the narrator is until almost the end of the story, which makes it kind of mysterious
2) the readers are asked to do little activities during the book like tie your shoes and stretch your arms and measure things, but all of these activities are for a good reason (you have to read the book to find out why!)
3) you learn a ton about dwarfism by reading this book because Georgie, the main character, is a little person (this is the term that is most polite). Only 42 inches high.
So, that’s the ‘thing about Georgie’– it’s hard to be small when the rest of the world around you is not. But, you’ll also see that he deals with the same issues we do, like having trouble with friends and growing up and dealing with meanies. And, most importantly, we are all made up of a whole lot of ‘things,’ not just one.
Although good to read anytime, this would be a wonderful readaloud for a social issues unit for grades 4-5.
Oh, Ivy and Bean! You are officially welcomed into my favorite character club. I love, love, love these two girls together, and I especially love how they never thought they’d be friends to begin with but wind up being the best of friends. You see, Bean thinks Ivy is boring and wants nothing to do with her at first–she’d rather think of ways to driver her older sister crazy instead. But of course the two girls come together and wind up having a blast being friends and even getting into trouble. This would be a perfect 2nd grade readaloud or an independent read for many different grades.
Check out this link for all the Ivy and Bean info from Annie Barrows herself.
And don’t forget this cool link where you can listen to Annie Barrows reading a part of the newest in the Ivy and Bean series AND watch a short movie about it.
After reading this book, I wanted nothing more than to move to New York City! Madlenka lives there in a high-rise apartment building in a neighborhood filled with interesting people and foods. When she wakes to find a loose tooth, she sets out to tell everyone in her block about it. Peter Sis’ illustrations make you feel like you are right there in Madlenka’s block, meeting all the storekeepers and viewing their wares. I would highly recommend this book for a unit on geography, but it would also work perfectly as a mentor text for setting. Look for another Peter Sis book called Madlenka’s Dog that is set up the same way. Many, many layers to these books.
I’ve read so many great reviews about this book in the blogosphere, and I ordered a copy for the Learning Hub that will arrive in January. But January is so far away and last Friday, I spied it in the new book section of the middle school library. I checked it out and headed straight to Starbucks to read it. It was everything I had hoped it would be and more–-a novel about 3 kids and one adult, all living separate lives but all seeking something and suffering some measure of loneliness. They come together coincidentally at the Sleepy Time Motel, and each of them winds up taking away a bit of the other’s loneliness. The book was just magical, and so beautifully crafted that it’s screaming to be read by as many 5th graders or middle schoolers as possible. I truly felt like I knew each of the characters and didn’t want the book to end.
An added bonus is this really cool book trailer (I love that people are making book trailers now and not just movie trailers). I read on one blog that after you read the book, you will agree that the trailer captures the essence of the story perfectly. So true. Watching it now makes me want to read the book all over again. I miss Aggie, Kirby, Loretta and Willow already.
Meet Mr. and Mrs. Green by Keith Baker
