Title: Charlotte's Web
Author: E.B White
Publisher/Date: HarperCollins, 1974
Reading Level: 6-11
Pages: 184
Genre: Fiction
Summary: When John Arable's sow has a litter of piglets the farmer noticed the runt and thought it would be best to kill it. His young daughter begs her father to let her keep the smallest piglet and names him Wilber. When Wilber gets to be bigger, the Arable's sold him to their uncle who was planning on making Wilber the family christmas meal. Wilber was lonely and scared until he meet Charlotte, a spider living in the barn. She writes messages to the farmer in her web such as "some pig" until the farmer decides to let the pig live. Wilber then goes on to win awards at the fair. While at the fair, Charlotte dies. But before she did, she laid a egg holding all her offspring. Wilber brings the egg back to the farm and when it hatches Wilber is there. As the spiders grow up most leave, but a few stay and live in the barn with Wilber.
Reaction: I think that this book is really good. I thought that it was very well written and had a lot to say about the innocence of baby animals and the compassion that even a spider could have. I really thought that the book had a good moral and was fun to read.
Potential Problems: This book may have children grow to love spiders although that may not be the best idea for children. I didn't really find any other problems with this book and think it is a good read.
Recommendations: This book was read to me for the first time by my mother before bedtime. I loved it then and I still love it. I think that children should read this book because of the good feeling that you get form it and how fun it is to read.
Wednesday, February 16, 2011
Love You Forever
Title: Love You Forever
Author: Robert N. Mucsch, Sheila McGraw
Publisher/Date: Firefly Books, 1995
Reading Level: 2-6
Pages: 32
Genre: Children's Literature
Summary: The story starts when a mother has a baby and tells him, I will love you forever, like you for always, as long as I'm living, my baby you'll be. She tells him this through out his life, as he is a toddler, a child, a teenager and a man. When the mother gets elderly, the son picks her up and tells her what he as been told his whole life.
Reaction: This book really makes me emotional and I really love it. My mother read it to me as a child and gave it to me for one of my birthdays. I think that this book really hits a soft spot with almost everyone who reads it.
Potential Problems: Because this book repeats itself, children learn to memorize it instead of read it. This doesn't really help children learn to read but it is still not really a problem.
Recommendations: I think that every parent should read this book to their children. It will instill in them that there is a strong bond between parent and child that goes on forever.
Author: Robert N. Mucsch, Sheila McGraw
Publisher/Date: Firefly Books, 1995
Reading Level: 2-6
Pages: 32
Genre: Children's Literature
Summary: The story starts when a mother has a baby and tells him, I will love you forever, like you for always, as long as I'm living, my baby you'll be. She tells him this through out his life, as he is a toddler, a child, a teenager and a man. When the mother gets elderly, the son picks her up and tells her what he as been told his whole life.
Reaction: This book really makes me emotional and I really love it. My mother read it to me as a child and gave it to me for one of my birthdays. I think that this book really hits a soft spot with almost everyone who reads it.
Potential Problems: Because this book repeats itself, children learn to memorize it instead of read it. This doesn't really help children learn to read but it is still not really a problem.
Recommendations: I think that every parent should read this book to their children. It will instill in them that there is a strong bond between parent and child that goes on forever.
Marley and Me
Title: Marley and Me
Author: John Grogan
Publisher/Date: HarperCollins, 2009
Reading Level: 8-12
Pages: 304
Genre: Non-Fiction
Summary: Marley was a Yellow Labrador the was always getting into trouble. He was adopted by a family who pick the wildest, cutest, and most destructive puppy in the litter. The dog is destructive to the house and yard and runs away at every oppurtunity. He barks at all noises and when the mother gets overwhelmed she tells her husband that the dog needs to go. The family soon realizes that they are not a family without their dog no matter how much trouble he causes them.
Reaction: This book had me laughing out loud at the things that Marley would do. I have a chocolate Lab and so there were some things that I would relate to like the chewing that the fact that my dog is 1 and 1/2 and still hasn't mastered the art of walking. Even from the kitchen to the living room must be done at a dead sprint no matter who or what is in the way. I LOVE this book and it is quite my favorite book.
Potential Problems: This book will most likely make young children want a dog as crazy as Marley which some parents might not find ideal. It also has some wording that can be confusing for children.
Recommendations: I think that everyone, young and old should read this book. Everyone will get a kick out of it and find it hard to put down. Everyone in my family has read this book and we have all loved it.
Author: John Grogan
Publisher/Date: HarperCollins, 2009
Reading Level: 8-12
Pages: 304
Genre: Non-Fiction
Summary: Marley was a Yellow Labrador the was always getting into trouble. He was adopted by a family who pick the wildest, cutest, and most destructive puppy in the litter. The dog is destructive to the house and yard and runs away at every oppurtunity. He barks at all noises and when the mother gets overwhelmed she tells her husband that the dog needs to go. The family soon realizes that they are not a family without their dog no matter how much trouble he causes them.
Reaction: This book had me laughing out loud at the things that Marley would do. I have a chocolate Lab and so there were some things that I would relate to like the chewing that the fact that my dog is 1 and 1/2 and still hasn't mastered the art of walking. Even from the kitchen to the living room must be done at a dead sprint no matter who or what is in the way. I LOVE this book and it is quite my favorite book.
Potential Problems: This book will most likely make young children want a dog as crazy as Marley which some parents might not find ideal. It also has some wording that can be confusing for children.
Recommendations: I think that everyone, young and old should read this book. Everyone will get a kick out of it and find it hard to put down. Everyone in my family has read this book and we have all loved it.
Holes
Title: Holes
Author: Louis Sachar
Publisher/Date: Random House Children's Books, 2000
Reading Level: 9-11
Pages: 219
Genre: Realistic Fiction
Summary: Stanley Yelnats is young boy who seems to have very bad luck along with the rest of his family. He seems to always be in the wrong place at the wrong time. He gets sent to a camp for troubled boys for something that he didn't do. He is given the name Caveman by the other delinquents who all have their own nicknames. His assignment is to dig one 5' by 5' hole everyday to build character. He is told that if he finds something interesting, to report it and he maybe rewarded depending on what the Warden says. One day he finds something, and keeps it to himself. His best friend Zero runs away and is sure to die because of the lack of water and blistering heat. Caveman decides to go find him, and when he does, they climb a mountain to get some water. When they return, they dig where Stanley found that interesting artifact. They then find a box of treasure and when the Warden comes to clam it, the box has Stanley's name on it. The camp is shut down and the boys get to to leave. Zero gets to live with Stanley and his family and they become extremely rich and live a great life.
Reaction: I loved this book and found it very fun and enjoying to read. I was surprised with the ending and loved it. The book kept me involved until the very end. I also really liked how the chapters where short and made breaking spots easier even though I had a hard time putting it down.
Potential Problems: The story jumps around a lot from the past to the future and can be hard to follow sometimes. It all ties in together at the end and so make sure that you follow the story line.
Recommendations: I think that all children should read this book. It really has a lot to offer and children will love this book because some children can relate to Stanley and his bad luck.
Author: Louis Sachar
Publisher/Date: Random House Children's Books, 2000
Reading Level: 9-11
Pages: 219
Genre: Realistic Fiction
Summary: Stanley Yelnats is young boy who seems to have very bad luck along with the rest of his family. He seems to always be in the wrong place at the wrong time. He gets sent to a camp for troubled boys for something that he didn't do. He is given the name Caveman by the other delinquents who all have their own nicknames. His assignment is to dig one 5' by 5' hole everyday to build character. He is told that if he finds something interesting, to report it and he maybe rewarded depending on what the Warden says. One day he finds something, and keeps it to himself. His best friend Zero runs away and is sure to die because of the lack of water and blistering heat. Caveman decides to go find him, and when he does, they climb a mountain to get some water. When they return, they dig where Stanley found that interesting artifact. They then find a box of treasure and when the Warden comes to clam it, the box has Stanley's name on it. The camp is shut down and the boys get to to leave. Zero gets to live with Stanley and his family and they become extremely rich and live a great life.
Reaction: I loved this book and found it very fun and enjoying to read. I was surprised with the ending and loved it. The book kept me involved until the very end. I also really liked how the chapters where short and made breaking spots easier even though I had a hard time putting it down.
Potential Problems: The story jumps around a lot from the past to the future and can be hard to follow sometimes. It all ties in together at the end and so make sure that you follow the story line.
Recommendations: I think that all children should read this book. It really has a lot to offer and children will love this book because some children can relate to Stanley and his bad luck.
The Eleventh Hour
Title: The Eleventh Hour
Author: Graeme Base
Publisher: Harry N. Abrams
Copyright Date: 1988
Genre: Mystery
Pages: 32
Reading level: 9-12
Summary: An elephant is throwing a birthday for himself and invites all his friends over for a big birthday bash. He plans all sorts of games for his guest to play. He also cooks up the delicious meal for everyone to eat. When his guest see the meal that was prepared, they can’t wait to eat it. After they all spent the next few hours playing games and working up an appetite, it was 11:00, time to eat. When they entered the dining room to eat, they noticed all the food was gone. Everyone wondered who would have eaten all the food. All the guests plea for their innocence and you get to figure out who ate the feast.
Reaction: I really enjoyed reading this book. I thought that I pictures had so much detail that every time I look at the illustrations, I saw things that I missed the first time. I loved that the books ending made it impossible to not go back through the book and study it.
Potential Problems: I thought this might not be the best “bedtime book” because it might be hard getting children to put it down to go to bed. Also this book might be a little hard to understand for children.
Recommendations: I would recommend this book to anyone that enjoys a good mystery. Most children will really enjoy reading this book and trying to solve the mystery when it is over.
Metilda
Title: Metilda
Author: Roald Dahl
Publisher/Date: Penguin Group, 1988
Reading Level: 9-11
Pages: 140
Genre: Fantasy/Fiction
Summary: Matilda is a 5 1/2 year old girl who was born into a terrible family. Her father is mean and treats her badly, and her mother ignores her. She finds ways to get back at her family for being so mean. She also sneaks away to the library where she spends most of her time reading and enjoying being away from her family. Then she goes to school and meets her wonderful teacher Ms. Honey. She also meets the terrible headmaster Ms. Trenchibull. She is the meanest most awful person. She terrorizes the students and loves to punish them in strange ways. Matilda is so smart that Ms. Honey wants her to move into a more challenging class but Ms. Trenchibull wont have it. Matilda is frustrated with school and home life and soon discovers that she has special powers. The power to move objects with her mind. She takes this skill to school to teach Ms. Trunchibull a lesson. She plays a trick on her and Ms. Trunchibull takes her anger out of the other students and Ms. Honey. So Matilda comes up with the ultimate trick to get rid of the head master. She makes it seem like Ms. Trunchibull's dead brother is talking to her from the dead telling her to give Ms. Honey (who turns out to be Ms. Trunchibulls niece) everything she deserves. The headmaster gets so scared she runs away never to be seen or heard from again. Then Matilda's father gets in trouble with the law and tells the family they are moving away. Matilda and Ms. Honey don't want to move away from each other so she adopts Matilda! And Matilda finally gets moved into a higher level class and is no longer frustrated so she finds her powers go away since she doesn't need them. and Ms. Honey and Matilda live happily ever after.
Reaction: I really enjoyed this book. It kept me involved and interested throughout the whole book. I thought that it had a good moral and could give people in abused situations hope for a better life in the future.
Potential Problems: This book contains some bad words that some people may find offensive. Some children may not be able to comprehend how awful Metilda's life is because they may not have ever experienced anyone treating them badly. They may also become scared of their principle.
Recommendations: I really think that children should read this book. It has a good moral and can teach children that there are ways out of bad situations even if they don't have special powers.
Author: Roald Dahl
Publisher/Date: Penguin Group, 1988
Reading Level: 9-11
Pages: 140
Genre: Fantasy/Fiction
Summary: Matilda is a 5 1/2 year old girl who was born into a terrible family. Her father is mean and treats her badly, and her mother ignores her. She finds ways to get back at her family for being so mean. She also sneaks away to the library where she spends most of her time reading and enjoying being away from her family. Then she goes to school and meets her wonderful teacher Ms. Honey. She also meets the terrible headmaster Ms. Trenchibull. She is the meanest most awful person. She terrorizes the students and loves to punish them in strange ways. Matilda is so smart that Ms. Honey wants her to move into a more challenging class but Ms. Trenchibull wont have it. Matilda is frustrated with school and home life and soon discovers that she has special powers. The power to move objects with her mind. She takes this skill to school to teach Ms. Trunchibull a lesson. She plays a trick on her and Ms. Trunchibull takes her anger out of the other students and Ms. Honey. So Matilda comes up with the ultimate trick to get rid of the head master. She makes it seem like Ms. Trunchibull's dead brother is talking to her from the dead telling her to give Ms. Honey (who turns out to be Ms. Trunchibulls niece) everything she deserves. The headmaster gets so scared she runs away never to be seen or heard from again. Then Matilda's father gets in trouble with the law and tells the family they are moving away. Matilda and Ms. Honey don't want to move away from each other so she adopts Matilda! And Matilda finally gets moved into a higher level class and is no longer frustrated so she finds her powers go away since she doesn't need them. and Ms. Honey and Matilda live happily ever after.
Reaction: I really enjoyed this book. It kept me involved and interested throughout the whole book. I thought that it had a good moral and could give people in abused situations hope for a better life in the future.
Potential Problems: This book contains some bad words that some people may find offensive. Some children may not be able to comprehend how awful Metilda's life is because they may not have ever experienced anyone treating them badly. They may also become scared of their principle.
Recommendations: I really think that children should read this book. It has a good moral and can teach children that there are ways out of bad situations even if they don't have special powers.
Tuesday, February 15, 2011
The Three Little Wolves and the Big Bad Pig
Title: The Three Little Wolves and the Big Bad Pig
Author: Eugene Trivizas
Publisher/Date: McElderry, 1997
Reading Level: 9-12
Pages: 32
Genre: Fairy Tale
Summary: It is like the common story of the Three Little Pigs and the Big Bad Wolf, but in this story, the Pig is the bad one. They all have different houses and made out of different things. One is made out of steel and one out of flowers. When he gets to the house of flowers, the Pig is tamed by the smell and become kind and they all live together happily.
Reaction: I thought that it was a very good twist on the original story. It had really good pictures and told the story backwards. I really found it intriguing and fun to read.
Potential Problems: This book might scare younger children. The Pig is trying to hurt the wolves and it might confuse them on which is usually the predator. It does have some big words and can be harder for younger children.
Recommendations: I think that this is a great book for children. It will make them think back to the original story and compare and contrast the two. It would be fun for children to read and to be read too.
Author: Eugene Trivizas
Publisher/Date: McElderry, 1997
Reading Level: 9-12
Pages: 32
Genre: Fairy Tale
Summary: It is like the common story of the Three Little Pigs and the Big Bad Wolf, but in this story, the Pig is the bad one. They all have different houses and made out of different things. One is made out of steel and one out of flowers. When he gets to the house of flowers, the Pig is tamed by the smell and become kind and they all live together happily.
Reaction: I thought that it was a very good twist on the original story. It had really good pictures and told the story backwards. I really found it intriguing and fun to read.
Potential Problems: This book might scare younger children. The Pig is trying to hurt the wolves and it might confuse them on which is usually the predator. It does have some big words and can be harder for younger children.
Recommendations: I think that this is a great book for children. It will make them think back to the original story and compare and contrast the two. It would be fun for children to read and to be read too.
Socks
Title: Socks
Author: Beverly Cleary
Publisher/Date: HarperCollins, 1990
Pages: 176
Reading Level: 9-12
Genre: Comedy/ Novel
Summary: Socks is about a little gray tabby cat with white paws, which gives him the name Socks. He is adopted by a young couple. They give him tons of attention and he seems to be the happiest cat on the block. The couple decide to expand their family and have their first baby. After the baby comes, Socks doesn't seem to get as much attention like he has been used to. He begins to act up and really gets neglected. He is put outside and in the garage. He gets in fights with other cats and starts to wonder what happened to his perfect life. The couple realizes that he has not gotten the attention that he deserves and they let him back in and try to spend more time with Socks. Socks then realizes that he likes the new baby Charles and he has made a new friend. The family is all together and happy again.
Reaction: I loved this book. I thought that it was very well written and really kept me involved. I was able to picture the whole story with how much detail the author used. I really enjoyed this book and want my children to read it. Maybe it will help them develop a love for cats the way that I have.
Potential Problems: I couldn't really find any potential problems with this book. I thought that it had a good moral and easy to understand.
Recommendations: I would recommend this book to any child that loves cats. It really depicts they way that animals should be treated and how they can feel misplaced when their lives are altered.
Author: Beverly Cleary
Publisher/Date: HarperCollins, 1990
Pages: 176
Reading Level: 9-12
Genre: Comedy/ Novel
Summary: Socks is about a little gray tabby cat with white paws, which gives him the name Socks. He is adopted by a young couple. They give him tons of attention and he seems to be the happiest cat on the block. The couple decide to expand their family and have their first baby. After the baby comes, Socks doesn't seem to get as much attention like he has been used to. He begins to act up and really gets neglected. He is put outside and in the garage. He gets in fights with other cats and starts to wonder what happened to his perfect life. The couple realizes that he has not gotten the attention that he deserves and they let him back in and try to spend more time with Socks. Socks then realizes that he likes the new baby Charles and he has made a new friend. The family is all together and happy again.
Reaction: I loved this book. I thought that it was very well written and really kept me involved. I was able to picture the whole story with how much detail the author used. I really enjoyed this book and want my children to read it. Maybe it will help them develop a love for cats the way that I have.
Potential Problems: I couldn't really find any potential problems with this book. I thought that it had a good moral and easy to understand.
Recommendations: I would recommend this book to any child that loves cats. It really depicts they way that animals should be treated and how they can feel misplaced when their lives are altered.
Island of the Blue Dolphins
Title: Island of the Blue Dolphins
Author: Scott O'Dell
Publisher: Random House Children's Books, 1987
Pages: 204
Reading Level: 9-11
Genre: Historical Fiction
Summary: Karana is a young girl who is the daughter of the Chief of her tribe. One day the Aleuts come for a different land asking if they can hunt sea otter. The Chief gave the go ahead as long as they paid them. When it came time to leave, the Aleuts didn't pay as much as they were expected to. A battle broke out and the Chief was killed. The knew Chief decided to take his tribe to a knew land. On the night they were leaving, Karana's little brother, Ramo was missing. Karana jumps off the boat and swims back to the island to save her younger brother.
Ramo was then killed by a pack of wild dogs left on the island. Karana is enraged and makes spears to kill the dogs to get her revenge. She injured the leader of the pack, but then nurses him back to health and grows to love him. She named him, Rontu.
The Aleuts return and Karana hides in a cave that made her home. She befriends one of the Aleuts girls named Tutok. They exchange gifts and when Tutok leaves, Karana realizes how much she misses her. Later Rontu dies. Karana then finds a pup which was one of Rontu's and names him Rontu-Aru. She then see ships sails and gets dressed. She then goes to the shore and waits for them to come for her. They make her new clothes and take her and Rontu-Aru to the Mission in Santa Barbara, California.
Reaction: I loved this book. It is one of my favorites that I have read in a long time. I thought that it really set a detailed image of the life that Karana was living and I was able to feel bad and sorry for her as she had so many trials. The ending was good and made the book that much better.
Potential Problems: This book had a lot of really hard names to pronounce and I struggled with many of them. Being 9 years old and trying to sound out theses names would be challenging. Also the chapters were long and didn't really have a lot of stopping spots.
Recommendations: I really recommend this book to everyone. I think that everyone could benefit from it and gain a lot. It is easy to understand and follow along. I will read this book to my children or my class because of what an impact it had on me.
Author: Scott O'Dell
Publisher: Random House Children's Books, 1987
Pages: 204
Reading Level: 9-11
Genre: Historical Fiction
Summary: Karana is a young girl who is the daughter of the Chief of her tribe. One day the Aleuts come for a different land asking if they can hunt sea otter. The Chief gave the go ahead as long as they paid them. When it came time to leave, the Aleuts didn't pay as much as they were expected to. A battle broke out and the Chief was killed. The knew Chief decided to take his tribe to a knew land. On the night they were leaving, Karana's little brother, Ramo was missing. Karana jumps off the boat and swims back to the island to save her younger brother.
Ramo was then killed by a pack of wild dogs left on the island. Karana is enraged and makes spears to kill the dogs to get her revenge. She injured the leader of the pack, but then nurses him back to health and grows to love him. She named him, Rontu.
The Aleuts return and Karana hides in a cave that made her home. She befriends one of the Aleuts girls named Tutok. They exchange gifts and when Tutok leaves, Karana realizes how much she misses her. Later Rontu dies. Karana then finds a pup which was one of Rontu's and names him Rontu-Aru. She then see ships sails and gets dressed. She then goes to the shore and waits for them to come for her. They make her new clothes and take her and Rontu-Aru to the Mission in Santa Barbara, California.
Reaction: I loved this book. It is one of my favorites that I have read in a long time. I thought that it really set a detailed image of the life that Karana was living and I was able to feel bad and sorry for her as she had so many trials. The ending was good and made the book that much better.
Potential Problems: This book had a lot of really hard names to pronounce and I struggled with many of them. Being 9 years old and trying to sound out theses names would be challenging. Also the chapters were long and didn't really have a lot of stopping spots.
Recommendations: I really recommend this book to everyone. I think that everyone could benefit from it and gain a lot. It is easy to understand and follow along. I will read this book to my children or my class because of what an impact it had on me.
Sunday, February 13, 2011
Stranger in the Mirror
Title: Stranger in the Mirror
Author: Allen Say
Publisher/date: Walter Lorraine, 1995
Reading level: 8-11
Number of Pages: 32
Summary: A little boy that loves to skateboard wakes up one morning looking old like Grandfather. No one recognizes him and he has to convince everyone of who he is. He goes to the doctor and is told that he has a skin condition and to just wait for it to go away. One day he finds a skateboard and does all these tricks even though he look elderly. He decides to not care what anyone thinks about him. After he is fine with the person that he was, he realizes that he is a boy again and everything is all better.
Reaction: I found this book to be a little odd. This just did not seem to be a book that children would like to read. I had no idea that this book was going to turn out the way that it did.
Potential Problems: This book might make children afraid of getting old. The book turned getting old into something horrible and I think that they could have put a different twist on it so it didn't become a fear of children.
Recommendations: I do not recommend this book. I didn't feel like it really got any sort of point across and I found myself thinking, "what is the point of this book and why would anyone want to read it?" I think that this could have been a different story and have a different moral, such as pointing out the positive things of growing old.
Author: Allen Say
Publisher/date: Walter Lorraine, 1995
Reading level: 8-11
Number of Pages: 32
Summary: A little boy that loves to skateboard wakes up one morning looking old like Grandfather. No one recognizes him and he has to convince everyone of who he is. He goes to the doctor and is told that he has a skin condition and to just wait for it to go away. One day he finds a skateboard and does all these tricks even though he look elderly. He decides to not care what anyone thinks about him. After he is fine with the person that he was, he realizes that he is a boy again and everything is all better.
Reaction: I found this book to be a little odd. This just did not seem to be a book that children would like to read. I had no idea that this book was going to turn out the way that it did.
Potential Problems: This book might make children afraid of getting old. The book turned getting old into something horrible and I think that they could have put a different twist on it so it didn't become a fear of children.
Recommendations: I do not recommend this book. I didn't feel like it really got any sort of point across and I found myself thinking, "what is the point of this book and why would anyone want to read it?" I think that this could have been a different story and have a different moral, such as pointing out the positive things of growing old.
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