Wednesday, May 28, 2008

Books! Books! Books! We love 'em!

Dear student readers,

You have read so many great books this year. I have certainly enjoyed hearing about them. For this week’s blog, make a list of 3-5 books that you would recommend to other readers. These should be books that you have read in the last two years.

Make sure to include the genre (i.e. fantasy, adventure, mystery, biography, science fiction, historical fiction, nonfiction) capitalize the title correctly and list the author. If possible, tell us the number of pages.

Please put one star next to the titles that you’d recommend for third graders, two stars next to the ones that you suggest for fourth graders, and three stars for ones that you’d reserve for kids who really, really read a lot!

Finally, write two or three sentences per book telling us why we should rush out and read your picks. (This part is important! Don’t skimp on it.)

Here’s my example:
**Frindle by Andrew Clements - 105 pages - realistic fiction - I love the characters in this story. From mischievous Nick to his down-to-business teacher Mrs. Granger, this book is about people I both understand and really care about. And, of course, it is a story about words. What English teacher could possibly resist that?!

Have fun with this kids. Give it some thought. I guarantee you that your classmates will use your lists for summer reading ideas!

16 comments:

Anonymous said...

Mrs. Powell:

1. **The Klipfish Code-Mary Casanova-227 pages- If you like books that keep you reading throughout the night, you'll adore this one. As soon as the Nazis attack Godoy Island, Norway, Marit and Lars face a new world. Through their extravagant adventures they take, what will happen in the end?

2. **Among The Hidden-Margaret Peterson Haddix-153 pages- Do you wonder what went on in the old days? Are you a third or fourth child? In this story, a boy named Luke is a third child. A shadow child. There is a person population in this story. Every women is only allowed to have 2 children because the police are worried they will run out of food for the world. Accidently, a women gave birth to a extra child, but won't give him away. Luke must hide his whole life, until he gets a fake I.D. But, once he meets another shadow child, she connects him to the whole world.

3. **Ruby Holler- Sharon Creech-310 pages-Have you wondered what it would be like to not know your real parents? In this story, Dallas and Florida are in a adoption center with numerous other kids and old meany owners who claim to take care of them. When Dallas and Florida find this patient, caring, old couple, they look at the perspective of life a little differently. (Don't get intimated by the pages)

4. **How Tia Lola came to visit/stay-Julia Alvarez-144 pages-Once Miguel and Juanita's parents divorce, their Mami is having a hard time getting through it all. Once Mami asks Miguel and Juanita's non- english speaking aunt in Dominican Republic, to come stay with them to lighten up their lives, she agrees. Miguel is a little embarrassed by his aunt coming, but once she comes, he realizes its the best thing that happened. But, most importantly, will Tia Lola stay??

5. *Tooter Pepperday-Jerry Spenelli-85 pages- Tooter and her family are going to live with her aunt in a farm 30 minutes from the city. She just can't resist Mcdonald's, though. She really hates what her parents are making her do. But, once her aunt asks her to care for this little chick egg she realizes something. Through this hilarious story lies a lesson. You'll have to read it to find out!

Anonymous said...

Mrs. Powell,
1. * Beast Quest, Adam Blade, 78 pages, fantasy. Its about a boy who has no parents and living with his uncle, a blacksmith. Tom wants to be a blacksmith also, but his life changes when he is sent for help for his village and then the Kingdom, a quest to save the Kingdom and the beast.
2. *** STORMBREAKER, ANTHONY HOROWITZ, 192 pages, spy adventure. They said his uncle Ian died in a car accident but Alex, a 14-year-old boy now that’s a lie, from the gun marks on the car confirm the truth. But Alex gets caught in Britain’s top-secret intelligence agency. He has a job to find his uncle’s killers and complete the final mission.
3. *** My Side of the Mountain (Newbery honor), JEAN CRAIGHEAD GEORGE, 177 PAGES, adventure. Sam Gribley is terribly unhappy living in New York City with his family, so he runs away into the Catskill Mountains to live by himself. He will learn about courage, danger and independence. It’s a year that changes his life.
4. ** DIARY OF A WIMPY KID RODRICK RULES, JEFF KINNEY , 271 pages ,fiction novel. If you read Diary of a wimpy this is the book for you!
Thomas j21

Anonymous said...

1. Kiki Strike and the Shadow City-Kristen Miller-around 250 pages-Ananka Fishbein finds an underground city beneath New York City, but she is not the only person who finds out. Kiki Strike also finds the Shadow city and Ananka finds Kiki Strike. Together they form a group to rule the Shadow City. I like this book because there is a lot adventure in it.

2. Kiki Strike and the Empress’s Tomb-Kristin Miller-around 320 pages- This is the 2nd book of Kiki Strike books. It is about Oona’s dad (Oona is a member of the group and cracks computers). Oona’s dad tries to kill her by poisoning a drink, claim her as the dead Empress of China and put her in a museum as an exhibit to steal paintings. I like this book because it leaves you on the edge of your seat every minute of the book.

3. Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire-J.K. Rowling-around 700 pages- This amazing story is about a boy who goes to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry and is in his 4th year there. At Hogwarts that year, the Twizard Tournament takes place and Harry does not enter the tournament. Someone enters Harry into the Twizard Tournament and he does not know why. I like this book because it brings you into the book and you can’t put it down.
MaddieJ6

Anonymous said...

My first choice is called Frindle, by Andrew Clements. It has 105 pages and recommends this book to have 1 or 2 stars. This is a realistic fiction book, and fun to read. I thought that Nick, the main character, was crafty and smart and imaginative. He started telling friends to use the word Frindle instead of pen, it wasn’t long and everyone used his word. Nick’s English teacher wasn’t happy about changing the word for pen to Frindle , and thought it was a game to have everyone use his word.

My Second choice is called Stink, “The Incredible Shrinking Kid”, by Megan McDonald. It has 102 pages, recommends 3 stars. This is a fiction book, and is very funny. It is very easy to read, and it has short chapters. Stink, the main character is always annoying his sister Judy Moody. He likes to draw comics at the end of each chapter, so it makes the book more fun to read. Stink thinks that he can shrink into his comic character,” The Incredible Shrinking Kid”

Horrible Hurry’s Secret by Suzy Kline is my third choice. It has 52 pages and recommends 2 stars. This is a fiction book; I like this book because I was able to read this faster. I chose this book because I thought it was going to be good and I thought it was a mystery book, which I like to read. Harry tries to keep “the secret” secret even from his friends, who didn’t understand why he didn’t tell them. Harry changed his attitude towards the girls, who was this new Harry.



BRAXTON #18 SW

Anonymous said...

Dear Mme Powell,

*Beast Quest by Adam Blade - 76 pages - Adventure If you like intense and adventurous stories, then this is the perfect book for you. It’s about a boy named Tom and his friend trying to save the kingdom by defeating all the monsters that a wizard put an enchanted collar on so he could control the beasts. And the only way he could unlock the collar is a magic key that can defeat all the beasts.

**Bone by Jeff Smith - 118 pages - graphic novel If you like graphic novels, this is a very good book for you. It’s about a creature named Fone Bone and his cousins. They got chased out of Boneville because the cousin was the most hated man in Boneville and he tried to run for mayor.

***Diary of a Wimpy Kid by Jeff Kinney - 217 pages - Fiction If you like super funny books this is the right book for you. It’s about a kid. It’s his first year at middle school and he’s bullied a lot. He’s afraid no one will like him because he only has one friend.

Anonymous said...

If you like series about cats try “The Warriors” series. The author is Erin Huttner. The books are usually 120 to 350 pages in length. In the first series the main characters are cats Rusty, Spotted Leaf, Blue Star, and Grey Paw. Rusty is a pet cat and when he starts having dreams about hunting a mouse he goes outside where he mysteriously meets wild cats. The wild cats Blue Star, Grey Paw ask Rusty to join their wild cat clan. Will Rust except?

If you like stories by Judy Blume read “Otherwise Known as Sheila the Great”. It’s about a girl from New York who goes on vacation to the country. In the country Sheila meets a person whose nickname is mouse. What type of things will she learn in the country?

If you like funny and gross books read “You Can’t Eat Your Chicken Pox, AMBER BROWN”. It’s written by Paula Danziger. Amber is very excited. She is going to London with her aunt. Amber is ready for the best vacation ever until she gets the chicken pox. Is Amber’s vacation ruined?


Patricia Sw #13

Anonymous said...

Molly Moon, Mickey Minus and the Mind Machine
When Molly Moon is a young girl who has the power to make time stop and travel time and hypnotize with her eyes. When she finds out that she has a twin brother she will do anything to find him. But during her chase to find her brother she discovers a power that she doesn’t know about. A surprising, exciting and interesting tale about a girl, her dog Petula and her best friend Rocky who has the power to hypnotize people with his voice.***(for kids in 4th-5th who enjoy long books and like adventures fiction .)
Katiej4th

Anonymous said...

Molly Moon, Mickey Minus and the Mind Machine
When Molly Moon is a young girl who has the power to make time stop and travel time and hypnotize with her eyes. When she finds out that she has a twin brother she will do anything to find him. But during her chase to find her brother she discovers a power that she doesn’t know about. A surprising, exciting and interesting tale about a girl, her dog Petula and her best friend Rocky who has the power to hypnotize people with his voice.***(for kids in 4th-5th who enjoy long books and like adventures fiction .)
Katiej4th

Anonymous said...

Molly Moon, Mickey Minus and the Mind Machine
When Molly Moon is a young girl who has the power to make time stop and travel time and hypnotize with her eyes. When she finds out that she has a twin brother she will do anything to find him. But during her chase to find her brother she discovers a power that she doesn’t know about. A surprising, exciting and interesting tale about a girl, her dog Petula and her best friend Rocky who has the power to hypnotize people with his voice.***(for kids in 4th-5th who enjoy long books and like adventures fiction .)
Katiej4th

Anonymous said...

I loved Troll Mill By Katherine Langrish. It is fiction.**
I also adored The Chronicals of Narnia by C.S. Lewis. **
An other book I loved is Evie The Mist Fairy. Also Cristal the Winter Fairy, and Pearl the Cloud Fairy by Daisy Meadows.*

Anonymous said...

#1**Fudge- a- mania By: Judy Blume

Fiction: The Hatcher family goes to Maine and Peters enemy, Sheila, and her family has to come too. Peters little brother Fudge has big plans to marry Sheila. Will Peter survive? Will Fudge marry Sheila? Find out in Fudge-a mina.

#2***The Haunted Staircase By Caroline Keen

Mystery: There has been some strange things happening at Twin Elms. Nancy goes to search to find any clues of a ghost. For example: the chandelier in the living room swings when no one is making it move! Read more to find out the Haunted Staircase!

#3 *** The Doll People by Ann Martin

Fiction: In this story, dolls come to life. Annabelle finds out that there is another big world outside her dollhouse. Humans don’t know the dolls come to life. A great book for summer vacation.

Anonymous said...

***The wild Girls- By: Pat Murphy. I love all the character you can really feel how they feel as your reading along. Watch Out there is some bad language in this book. FICTION
** The Invention of Hugo Cabaret- By: Brian Selznick. Even though this book is mostly pictures it’s still awesome! After I read the Invention of Hugo Cabaret I felt that it was necessary to look at the pictures because they really help you see the emotion and they help tell the story. ADVENTURE/ MYSTERY
**The tail of Emily Windsnap-By: Liz Kessler. This book is about a young girl and she turns into a mermaid and gets into one big adventure. FANTASY
** Chasing Vermeer- By: Blue Balliett. This book is perfect for kids who like to read about adventure. In Chasing Vermeer there is a boy and a girl that have to solve a mystery. The boy has a superstition he believes that if he pulls a pentonimo from his pocket that the letter that he pulls out will lead to the next clue. MYSTERY

Annabel R. SW #16

Anonymous said...

1. **Diary of a Wimpy Kid - 217 pages auther Jeff Kinney. If you love books that you can't put down well here is one. It's about a kid that is in 6th grade that is named Greg and he told his mom to buy a jourunel but instad she got one that says diary, it is tromendisle funny!!!



2. **Diary of a Wimpy Kid Rodrick Rules - 217 pages. Auther Jeff Kinney. The 2nd book is about his brother that is 16 and how he can be nice and how he can be mean and how he can play the drums good!!!



3.**Hank Zipper - HELP Someone Get Me Out of Fourth Grade - 155 pages. Auther Henry Winkler. It is about a kid named Hank Zipper and he is in Fourth grade. He can do magic, he is funny and there is a school bully. Hank is afraid of the parent-teacher conferences because they are going to say bad things.

Patrick SW4 #V11

Anonymous said...

1. ***Harry Potter and The Chamber of Secrets – J.K. Rowling – 441pages Fantasy/Adventure
The Chamber of Secrets has been open and it has let out it’s monster. If anyone looks it straight in the eye they will die. Can Harry save the day? Read the book to find out!

2. **The Best Christmas Pageant Ever – Barbara Robinson – pgs? - Fantasy
These nasty Herdmans, can they ruin the Christmas pageant this year? They will bring cats with one eyeball to school, set a house on fire, and make bushes grow from your ears……and they are going to a Christmas pageant? Will they frighten away everyone?
Read to find the answer!


3. **The Doll People – Ann M. Martin – 256 pages – Fantasy/Adventure
These miraculous dolls can walk! They are on secret mission to find their Aunt who has been lost for years. Along their way, many adventures happen to these dolls.

4. **The City of Ember - Jeanne Duprau – about 330 pages – Science Fiction
Lina and Doon are about 12 or 13 years old and just graduated from their last school . Lina is a messenger and Doon works underground with pipes. They are trying to find a way out of their underground, filthy city. Is their really a way out or will they just find a dead-end?

Estee
SW #26

Anonymous said...

* Prince Caspian by C. S. Lewis – In this book, Peter, Susan, Lucy and Edmund go back to Narnia to help Prince Capsian defeat his evil uncle.

* Time Warp Trio – In this book, three friends who like baseball go back to the time of King Arthur.

** The Deathly Hallows by JK Rowling – In this book, Harry Potter defeats Voldemort.

Ben F
J7

Anonymous said...

** The Invention of Hugo Cabret by Brian Selznick. This is a mystery and adventure and has 530 pages. Alot of the pages are pictures drawn with pencil. They tell you alot about the story.

*Diary of a Wimpy Kid by Jeff Kinney. It is a novel with 217 pages.

* Diary of a Wimpy Kid- Rodrick Rules. It is the second Wimpy Kid book and has 217 pages. Both Wimpy Kid books are funny and quick to read. They have short chapters and fun pictures to look at.

* Runny Babbit by Shel Silverstein is a book of poems that has 87 pages. It was fun to read because the poems are funny and the words are all mixed up..

* Stink "The Incredible Shrinking Kid" is a fiction with 102 pages. There are at least three Stink books and they quick and easy to read. I liked the comics and they were funny books.

Drew #17