Fly Away, by Patricia MacLachlan

I’ve just finished my first book of the summer! Fly Away by Patricia MacLachlan. This is a very short and simple story about a family on a visit to Aunt Frankie’s farm. I really like how the author is able to make me feel like I know the characters as people in such a short time. Lucy is the main character, but we get to know her whole family: Dad, also known as Boots, Mom, older sister Gracie, younger brother Teddy, and Aunt Frankie. Aunt Frankie is one of my favorite characters because she’s tough and independent, but also very loving.

This book would be a tasty book snack for students in second through fourth grade. It would be a good fit for students who enjoy realistic fiction, and even poetry.

Summer is for Reading!

One of the best things about summer is more time to read! I have already started a list of new books I am going to read this summer. I’m planning on visiting the library quite a lot! Check back often to see what I’m reading, and see what your friends are reading! Here are the first books that I am planning on reading this summer:

 

First Books of Summer!

What are your reading plans for the summer? Do you have any recommendations for your friends? Leave a comment below!

Spring Break: Book-a-Day!

Happy Spring Break! I know many families travel over spring break, but I’m staying home and traveling through books. I’m planning on reading one book every day this week. What are YOUR reading plans?

The first book I’m reading is The Mouse With the Question Mark Tail, by Richard Peck. So far I really like it! If you like the Poppy books, you’ll definitely like this one! I’ll let you know what I think when I finish!

Happy reading!

 

Linda Urban is Coming!

This week will be a very exciting week at our library! Linda Urban is coming on Thursday, October 10! Have you read any of her books? I think my favorite is The Center of Everything, but I really love her other books, too.

I really like how Linda Urban’s books focus on the characters. I feel like they could be students here at our school – like they could be someone I know. Do you feel the same way?

One of the great things about an author visit is having the opportunity to ask a real, live author questions. I am very curious to learn about how Ms. Urban always seems to have just the right words. What will you ask??

 

Not So Scary Ghosts

Summer is a good time to stretch your reading and try books that you wouldn’t normally pick up. This week I’ve read two books involving ghosts – but they’re probably not what you are thinking. 🙂 

The first book is Small Medium at Large, by Joanne Levy. I chose to read this book because I thought the title and cover were very interesting. Do you know what a “medium” is? It doesn’t just mean a shirt size! A medium is someone who can communicate with dead people – or ghosts! When Lilah Bloom, a regular 12-year-old girl, discovers her new talent after being struck by lightning at her mom’s wedding. 

One of the things I really like about this book was how surprisingly realistic it is. Lilah seems like a totally normal girl, dealing with totally normal problems (parents, friends, boys, school). It just so happens that she can also talk to her dead grandmother, and any other spirits who happen to be around. This book snack is perfect for fans of realistic fiction in grades 4-6 who want to try out a science fiction book. 

The second book I read was Radiance, by Alyson Noel. This short novel really surprised me because I wasn’t expecting to like it as much as I did. The main character, Riley, isn’t technically called a ghost in the book, but it takes place after she dies. When Riley is 12 years old, her family is in a car accident and only her sister survives. Riley is having a hard time adjusting to her new surroundings, and is finally given a job to do. I can’t really tell you much more except that it involves returning to earth to help other souls choose to “move on.” Some parts of this book are a little scary, so I definitely recommend this book snack to students in grades 5 and up. It is part of a series, so you can keep snacking if you enjoy it! 🙂

 

Vacation Reading!

Hello friends! Guess where I am writing to you from? The sunny, hot state of Florida! I read an awesome book on the flight down here: a graphic novel called One Dead Spy. It’s part of Nathan Hale’s Hazardous Tales series. Did you know that Americans had spies during the American Revolution? This book tells the story of the first American spy just as he is being led to his end. It’s quite funny, and I really learned a lot about the American Revolution!

I also really loved how the book looks. I am a picky graphic novel reader, so it really has to keep my interest With both the art and the story. This book had both!

What about you? Do yiu like graohic novels? Why or why not?

A Tangle of Knots, by Lisa Graff

I’ve finished my first chapter book of the summer, and I loved it! A Tangle of Knots, by Lisa Graff, is an interesting story told from many different points of view. Sometimes the story can be confusing because I wasn’t sure how all the pieces fit together, but if you stick with it, it all becomes clear!
In this book, people have Talents, which means they can do something (usually something ordinary) really well. For example, there is a character who is Talented at knitting, and can knit sweaters, scarves, and other things really quickly. There are other characters in the book who are Talented at tying knots, matching people, and spitting. The main character’s Talent is baking cakes. Yum! The author has included several cake recipes, too!

I would recommend this book snack to anyone in grades 3-5, especially to anyone who loves a little dash of fantasy. If you like this book, I would also recommend Pie, by Sarah Weeks, and Everything on a Waffle, by Polly Horvath. We will have this book in the library when school starts again, but I have to warn you: if you want to borrow it, you’ll have to make a cake from the recipes and bring me a slice! 🙂

 

By the way, what do you think of the cover?

Welcome Summer!

I love summer because I get to catch up on all the great books I miss throughout the school year! What books did you discover this year that we need to make sure to read over the summer? Leave a comment below!

The best book I read this year was Capture the Flag, by our visiting author, Kate Messner!

Be sure to check back over the summer to see what I’m reading, and let me know what YOU discover! 🙂 See you in September!

Seven Wonders: The Colossus Rises

Have you ever read anything by Deborah Ellis?

Hello my friends!

Over the past few weeks, I have read several books by Deborah Ellis. I’ve read her trilogy that includes The Breadwinner, Parvana’s Journey, and Mud City. I’ve also read No Ordinary Day, which takes place in India, rather than Afghanistan. All four of these books are realistic fiction, but they’re not your typical school stories. Realistic fiction takes on a whole new meaning when you are reading about real life halfway around the world. 

In the Breadwinner trilogy, we experience life through Parvana, a young girl living in Afghanistan under Taliban rule. An interesting thing about this book is that it was first published just before 9/11, so the Taliban was not well-known, especially to American students. Women had to stay inside and didn’t have the same rights as men. Girls couldn’t even go to school, and most books were against the law. When Parvana’s father disappears in the middle of the night, she must find a way to earn money to get food for her family. How can she do that when she can’t even leave the house?

No Ordinary Day takes place in India, and is a very different story. Valli is an young girl who scavenges chunks of coal to help her family. What she doesn’t know, is that she’s an orphan, and her family doesn’t want her. Valli decides she must try to make a life for herself, even though she has almost no education and no idea where to go. Will she survive on her own, or will she run into even more trouble?

One reason I really enjoyed these books is the settings. So many of our most popular realistic fiction books take place in America, Canada, or maybe England. This is a true glimpse at what life is really like in other places for kids who could be just like YOU. Reading books like this makes us better people because they help us understand how other people live.

The next time your teacher suggests a realistic fiction book, surprise them by picking something unusual and out of the ordinary. Pick something by Deborah Ellis.