Chapter Book 14

Clementine by: Sara Pennypacker

Title: Clementine

Author: Sara Pennypacker
Illustrator:Marla Frazee
Genre: Juvenile Fiction
Subgenre: People & Places
Theme: Humorous, Friendship, Family
Primary & Secondary Characters: Clementine,Margaret, classmates, kitten
Award(s):
Date of Publication: 2011
Publishing Company: Hyperion Book

Summary of Book:


This is a very cute and humorous book! I loved it! It is about a little girl named Clementine who finally gets her turn at being "Friend of the Week" in her classroom at school. Each time someone is friend of the week, they get a book at the end of the week full of compliments from their classmates. Clementine wants to get the best compliments. This book illustrates how far she will go to get the best book at the end of the week. This is a book I want to add to my collection for my future classroom. I would read this aloud for entertainment to my classroom. Then, I think it would be a great idea to carry out the "friend of the week" idea in my class along with the compliment book at the end of each week. Every student deserves compliments and the feeling of being needed!

Chapter Book 13

My Havana: Memories of a Cuban Boyhood by: Rosemary Wells

Title: My Havana: Memories of a Cuban Boyhood 

Author: Rosemary Wells, Secundino Fernandez, Peter Ferguson
Illustrator: Peter Ferguson
Genre: Juvenile Nonfiction
Subgenre: Biography and Autobiography
Theme: Cuba, History, Architecture
Primary & Secondary Characters: Secundino Fernandez, uncle, father 
Award(s):
Date of Publication: 2010
Publishing Company: Candlewick Press

Summary of Book:


Rosemary Wells wrote this book after hearing Secundino's story and talking with him. It is the true story of Secundino Fernandez and his childhood. It illustrates the history of when Fidel Castro took over Cuba. In the classroom, I would do a whole history lesson over this. Because this is a biography, I would give tests and have discussions over the content. It is a great book and very heart touching. 

Chapter Book 12

Love That Dog by: Sharon Creech

Title: Love That Dog

Author: Sharon Creech
Genre: Poetry
Subgenre: American Poetry, dog, friendship
Theme: Poetry
Primary & Secondary Characters: Jack
Award(s):
Date of Publication: 2001
Publishing Company: HarperCollins

Summary of Book:


This is a good book. It is about a little boy named Jack who starts off slow writing poetry, but becomes very good at it. He writes about his dog and is inspired by his favorite poet. However, he originally thought that boys shouldn't write poetry. This is a book that I will definitely read to my classroom when introducing poetry. I can relate to the little boy in this book because I used to think that only certain people were talented enough to write poetry. This is not true, and this book illustrates that. This is a book that is easy to relate to for beginning poets or students who are just beginning to learn about poetry. 

Chapter Book 11

From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs Basil E. Frankweiler by: E. L. Konigsburg

Title: From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs Basil E. Frankweiler

Author: E. L. Konigsburg
Genre: Juvenile Fiction
Subgenre: Family, Siblings
Theme: Mysteries, Art, Runaway
Primary & Secondary Characters: Claudia Kincaid,  Mrs. Frankweiler, little brother
Award(s): Newbery medal
Date of Publication: 2007
Publishing Company: Simon and Schuster

Summary of Book:


This book is about a little girl named Claudia who decides to run away from home with her little brother. They end up staying at the Metropolitan Museum of Art where they become obsessed in uncovering mysteries and facts about the pieces of art there. They discover so much about art that they didn't previously know. I would love to read this book to my class before a trip to the museum. It would be fun to come up with a scavenger hunt that would allow them to feel like the kids in the book that discovered more every day that they were at the museum. This book is fiction, but it is very informative. 

Chapter Book 10

Someone Named Eva by: Joan M. Wolf

Title: Someone Named Eva

Author: Joan M. Wolf
Genre: Juvenile Fiction
Subgenre: Realistic Fiction
Theme: Boarding Schools, Holocaust, History
Primary & Secondary Characters: Milada, grandmother, Nazi soldiers, mama, papa, brother, sister
Award(s):
Date of Publication: 2009
Publishing Company: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt

Summary of Book:


This is a very touching story of a fictional character in a realistic situation named Milada who was sent to a Lebensborn center and adopted by the commandant of Ravensbruck when the Nazis took over. The whole book is about her experience and how she tries not to forget who she is and where she comes from. It is a realistic and touching story. In the classroom, I would use this book to spark interest in this terrible time in history. I feel that the students would be able to relate to the little girl in this story because of the age. This would be a great book to read aloud daily after our history lesson over this time of the past. 

Chapter Book 9

11 Birthdays by: Wendy Mass

Title: 11 Birthdays
Author: Wendy Mass

Genre: Juvenile Fiction
Subgenre: Family & Relations
Theme: Friendship, birthdays, time, social issues
Primary & Secondary Characters: Amanda, Leo
Award(s):
Date of Publication: 2010
Publishing Company: Scholastic Inc

Summary of Book:


This a very cute book about a girl named Amanda. It is her 11th birthday, but her and her best friend, Leo, are in an argument. Therefore, for the first time ever they do not spend it together. When she goes to bed the night of her birthday, she is relieved that the day is finally over. However, when she wakes up the next morning, it is her birthday all over again! I loved this book, and I feel like students would also enjoy it. It is a great book to have in the classroom for entertainment. This is a book that I would read aloud to my classroom and have discussions about it afterwards. 

Picture Book 26

Andy and The Lion by: James Henry Daugherty

Title: Andy and The Lion
Author: James Daugherty
Illustrator: James Daugherty
Genre: Juvenile Fiction
Subgenre: Folklore and Mythology
Theme: Animals, Friendship

Primary & Secondary Characters: Andy, Lion

Award(s): Caldecott
Date of Publication: 1989
Publishing Company: Puffin Books

Summary of Book:

This a story of a little boy named Andy who becomes a forever long friend to a lion because he pulls a thorn out of his foot. It is a very good story. The illustrations are very different, but that makes me like them even more. In the classroom I would use this book when my class was learning about Folklore and Mythology. It would also start a discussion to see if the students thought it was real or not. Then, I would get them to start their own myth or folklore that they would like to be read years and years from now. 

Picture Book 25

Abuela by: Arthur Dorros

Title: Abuela

Author: Arthur Dorros

Illustrator: Elisa Kleven

Genre: Juvenile Fiction

Subgenre: Picture Book

Theme: Hispanic and Latino, people and places

Primary & Secondary Characters: Rosalba, grandmother 

Award(s):

Date of Publication: 2009

Publishing Company: Baker & Taylor, CATS

Summary of Book:


This is a great book that is written in both Spanish and English. It is about a granddaughter and her grandmother and their adventures as they imagine that they can fly. I really like this book because the illustrations are awesome, and there are a lot of Spanish phrases used throughout the book. This would be great to dissect in a multicultural classroom. I also like that it shows the value of grandparents are the same for many cultures. I would read this book to my class while we were studying different cultures. I would then have them share their values of each of their cultures with each other. It is also introduces a few Spanish words that could jump start a Spanish lesson. 

Picture Book 24

I'm the Big Sister Now by: Michelle Emmert

Title: I'm the Big Sister Now

Author: Michelle Emmert
Illustrator: Gail Owens 
Genre: Juvenile Nonfiction

Subgenre: Picture book
Theme: Cerebral palsy, children's writings, family, siblings, health, daily living

Primary & Secondary Characters: Michelle, Amy Emmert
Award(s):
Date of Publication: 1989
Publishing Company: A. Whitman

Summary of Book:

This is a great book. It introduces what cerebral palsy is as Michelle describes her life with her sister Amy who has cerebral palsy. It is a sweet book that is completely nonfiction from Michelle's 9 year old point of view. In a classroom, I would use this book to read to students if there was someone in the class with cerebral palsy. It would help explain to them what it is and how lives are affected by it. It is also a great book to recommend to parents that have a child with cerebral palsy and a child that is healthy. Children relate a lot through books. 

Picture Book 23

A Very Special Critter by: Gina Mayer & Mercer Mayer



Title: A Very Special Critter
Author: Gina and Mercer Mayer
Illustrator: Mercer Mayer
Genre: Juvenile Fiction
Subgenre: Picture Book
Theme: schools, animals, people with disabilities
Primary & Secondary Characters: Alex, all other critters
Award(s):
Date of Publication: 1993
Publishing Company: Western Pub. Co.

Summary of Book:


This book is about Alex who is in a wheelchair because he is disabled. It illustrates how at first, the other critters in the book aren't sure how to act around him because he is different. It takes them a little while, but once they all get to know Alex, they realize that he is just a normal critter. My major is special education. I would definitely use this book in class to read to my students who are disabled. It is also a great book to read to a classroom that might be about to get a student who is disabled. It shows the students that impairments do not change a person's personality and that they should get to know everyone for who they are. 

Picture Book 22

The Hello, Goodbye Window by: Norton Juster
 


Title: The Hello, Goodbye Window
Author: Norton Juster
Illustrator: Christopher Raschka
Genre: Juvenile Fiction
Subgenre: Picture Book
Theme:Family and relationships, parenting, multigenerational
Primary & Secondary Characters: the little girl, Nanna and Poppy
Award(s): Caldecott Medal
Date of Publication: 2005
Publishing Company: Hyperion Books for Children

Summary of Book:
This book is from a little girl's point of view. It is innocent and sweet. It illustrates how everything that happens in this little girl's life that means something to her is near a window in her grandparents' house. I really like this book because it illustrates an interracial family. The illustrations are very unique in showing this. This book could be used in the classroom for entertainment. I think this is a great book to read in the early grades to show students that may not be aware of families that are interracial that it is perfectly normal. It is becoming more and more common and should be addressed to students so that they are knowledgeable about it.