Princess for a Week

Princess for a Week by Betty Ren Wright

Grades: Late 2 - 4
Rating 8/10

Fun story. The title fooled me just like it was supposed too. I thought that "Princess" was a dog, or that someone had turned into a dog. I was wrong. Thie is a cute little mystery with just enough action and suspense to grab the younger chapter book reader.

So B. It

So B. It by Sarah Weeks

Grades: 6+ due to the theme of the story
Rating: 8/10

The protagonist, Heidi, is being raised by her neighbor because her mothers "brain does not work right". Heidi's mother can say 23 words, all of the words are common with the exception of one of them. No one knows what the word means. Heidi is determined to figure out what the word is. She is convinced that if she figures out what the word is she will also discover who she is...does she have any other family, where is she from, when was she born...there are so many unanswered questions!

Mirror's Tale

Mirror's Tale A Further Tales Adventure by P.W. Catanese

Grades: 4+
My Rating: 8/10

Have you ever wondered what happened to the mirror from the Snow White fairy tale? This fun, fast moving story takes place 100 + years after Snow White. Bert and Will, twin sons of the baron are seperated for the summer becasue of all their misbehavior. What happens when one of them stumbles upon a mysterious beautiful mirror.

This is a fun book and will be enjoyed by many readers. It has a bit of fairy tale violence, so I would recommend it for grades 4th and up. Middle schoolers will enjooy this as well.

Three Good Deeds

Three Good Deeds by Vivian Vande Velde

Cute stroy about a naughty boy named Howard who was turned into a Goose. In order to break the curse he has to do three good deeds. He stumbles upon the first good deed rather quickly, but the other two are more difficult...especilly since a good deed needs to be done with a pure heart and for the right reasons.

Grades: Late 2-early 4th.
MHL selection 2008/2009

Rating: 7/10

Jackie's Wild Seattle

Jackie's Wild Seattle

By Will Hobbs

Grades: Late 3 - 7

Rating 9/10

Jackie's Wild Seattle is a story about a wild animal rescue group based in Seattle. The story centers around two kids who are spending their summer with their Uncle Neal. Neal volunteers full time for the rescue operation. When Neal hurts his thumb Shannon and Cody have to step up and learn the ropes as far as catching injured animals. this is a very human story thanks to the great character development and some of the issues that the characters are dealing with. I have a feeling that this will be a well liked story. It would be a great book for book club as well!!!

Punished

Punished by David Lubar.

Grades: 2-4

Rating 6/10

Logan knows he shouldn't have been playing tag in the library reference stacks and he's sorry that he crashed into Professor Wordsworth. Suddenly, Logan starts speaking in puns-really awful puns-and he can't stop. Then he realizes that he’s being punished. Get it "pun-ished". In order to break the curse he has three assignments to complete. Each has to do with words, such as oxymoron's and anagrams. This is a fun book, but I am not convinced that most younger students will understand what is really going on. It is on the MHL list for 2008/2009 so time will tell what the students actually think of this story

Project Mulberry

Project Mulberry

by: Linda Sue Park

Grades: 4-6

Rating: 7/10

Review: Every child at some time has to do a science project. Julia and Patrick are members of a club similar to 4H. As members of this club they have decided to do an animal husbandry project in hopes of making it to the fair. After some serious thought and discussion Julia's mom suggests that they raise silk worms. Julia is not thrilled with the idea because she feels it is too "Korean", and she want their project to be American. But...instead of just telling Patrick NO, she goes along reluctantly with the plan. This story has many good lessons in it. It is a pleasant read and one that both boys and girls will be able to relate to.

Moxy Maxwell Does Not Love Stuart Little

Moxy Maxweel Does Not Love Stuart Little.
by: Peggy Gifford
My Rating: 9/10
Grades: 2-4

Review: This is a darling, engaging little book! It is perfect for the student who is ready for their first real chapter book. Moxy is a procrastinator. She was assigned Stuart Little for summer reading. It needed to be read before the beginning of 4th grade. Well, her brother read it the first week of vacation. It is now the day before school starts and Moxy has yet to read the book. Will she get it read? Will she finish the book before the big synchronized swimming event? What do peach pits and dahlias have to do with the story?

I had a hard time putting this book down. It pulled me in and I just had to know what would happen next!

Phineas L Macguire Erupts

Phineas L MacGuire Erupts

By: Dowell

Grades: Late 2 - 4

This is a cute little story that would be a great read for students who are ready for a "real" chapter book. It is a light story and easy read. The story is about a boy is sruggling with the new kid at school and the loss of his best friend who moved away. Phineas loves science and has been looking forward to the science 4th grade science fair for years. Unfortunately he gets stuck working with the new kid. Will the science fair be a bust? Phineas is quite creative in dealing with his problems. Students will find Phineas and the setting easy to relate to. Both boys and girls will enjoy this book.

7/10

The Penderwicks

The Penderwicks
by Birdsall

Grades: late 3 - 5

This is a fun little story about 4 sisters & a boy. The girls family is renting a cottage from a rich, mean lady, who just happens to be the boys mother. The kids get themselves into quite a bit of trouble, but always manage to find a way out of the trouble. this is a fun, clean read that many girls will truly enjoy reading. Not sure many boys would like it though.

I am looking forward to more Penderwick adventures:)

Rating: 8/10

Gossamer

Gossamer
by Lois Lowry

Grades: Late 3 - 6

This gentle little story will appeal to kids who enjoy a combination of realistic fiction and fantasy. It feels like both at times. Gossamer is a dream giver and is quite an enduring little character. Lowry has thrown in a bit of adventure, a bit of mischief and some laughs.

Rating: 8/10

Shackleton's Stowaway

Shackleton's Stowaway
By McKeran
Grades: 6+

I enjoyed reading this story! last year I read the non fiction account, so it was fun to read a "first person" though fictional account of the adventure. this is a rather long read and at times I may have put it aside. what kept me going was the fact that I had read the non fiction account. This would be a good book for all those boys that enjoy adventure stories. I would pair this with some non fiction info on the same event.

Rating: 7/10

Lunch Money

Lunch Money
By Andrew Cements

Grades 3-5

This book was slow going at the beginning, but a fun story once the story actually began. this would be a fun book for a teacher to use as part of an ongoing math lesson. The two main characters represent what I consider a pretty typical rivalry between two bright kids...fun that in the end they use their brains to work together.

Rating 6/10

Edward's Eyes

Edward's Eyes

Patricia MacLachlan
Grades: Late 3 - 7

Rating 7/10

My 14 year old daughter took one look at this book and said “Edward dies doesn’t he? I can just tell.” All she had done was look at the cover and read the blurb. I had the same feeling the minute I started the book. MacLachlan was able to capture an air of anticipation through her incredibly gentle writing. Readers will simply know that something bad or sad is going to happen. I will admit that I am a bit of a sap and love a good cry and I was not disappointed!! This is an incredibly touching story.

I would recommend Edward’s Eyes as pleasure reading to those students in grades 4-7 that have shown an interest in very human, emotional stories. This is not a book that I would recommend to the die hard fantasy reader.

The Mysterious Benedict Society byTrenton Lee Stewart and Carson Ellis

The Mysterious Benedict Society

Trenton Lee Stewart

Grades Late 4th - 7th

Interesting tale of 4 adventurous "gifted" children, who are asked to help stop an evil man. The characters are unique and appealing, the names given to the characters are fun...but most kids will not catch the jokes. Slow start, but worth reading. I had a hard time putting it down at the end. It will appeal to kids that enjoy sloving riddles.

8/10

The Willoughbys by Lois Lowry

The Willoughbys
Lois Lowry

Grades: late 3rd - 6th

Strange little story about some children who are abandoned by their parents. Well, their parents are tired of being parents and set off on dangerous adventures.Before they leave they hire a nanny to stay with the children. It reminded me a bit of the Series of Unfortunate events. Luckily this story had a happy ending. AND I do not see a sequel in the future. Thank goodness. There will be some kids that find the humor interesting...I will have to wait and see which students that will be.

5/10

Cracker! by Cynthia Kadohata

Cracker! The Best Dog in Vietnam
Cynthia Kadohata

Grades 4-8

Great stroy for anyone that enjoys animal stories or war stories. Very gentle. Story gets long when Cracker is looking for his handler.

8/10

Elijah of Buxton by Christopher Paul Curtis

Elijah of Buxton
Christopher Paul Cutrtis

Grades 4-8

My new favorite story! Elijah is a charming young boy. He is easy to relate to becasue he is such a typical child. Parts of the story are hard to stomach...especailly the scene in the barn when Elijah meets the chained slaves.

10/10!!

Books I have Read

I need a place to keep tradck of the books that I have read. This is as good a place as any. the general format will be

Title:
Author:
Ages:
My thoughts:
My rating out of 10: