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librarybonanza
Age: 1st-3rd grade
A pop art presentation of anagrams with a logical storyline. The pop art is akin to the presentation of assorted facts in the "Weird but True" series. A fun book for a (slightly) boring topic
A pop art presentation of anagrams with a logical storyline. The pop art is akin to the presentation of assorted facts in the "Weird but True" series. A fun book for a (slightly) boring topic
Age: Preschool-Kindergarten
A super simple read-aloud for those "selfish" children that always declare "Me first!"
A super simple read-aloud for those "selfish" children that always declare "Me first!"
Age: High School-Adult
Daaaaaaaaamn. Why are there so many good books out there? Well, now I can check this fabulous novel off the list. I was ridiculously intrigued by the elements of this story: a boy that can talk to ghosts, a boy that can talk to Jacob Grimm's ghost (!!!), Jacob being stuck in an in between world trying to discover his unfinished business, his "unknown yet unmet desire," the growing friendship between a quiet boy and a curious girl. Such unique and intriguing plot lines that are a blend of fantasy and realism. Fantasy is obviously present in the ghost's story but is fantasy in the boy's story? Is that pastry really a magical love potion? Why can he hear ghosts?
Like The Book Thief, the dead narrator offers an excellent third person omniscient narrator to the story, while maintaining his own interesting storyline of discovering why he is stuck in between worlds. The first 200 pages of the book are very story and character based (like like!) and the last 100 pages turn into a mystery thriller which is pretty balla (triple like!). Ima suggest this to ALL my friends!
Daaaaaaaaamn. Why are there so many good books out there? Well, now I can check this fabulous novel off the list. I was ridiculously intrigued by the elements of this story: a boy that can talk to ghosts, a boy that can talk to Jacob Grimm's ghost (!!!), Jacob being stuck in an in between world trying to discover his unfinished business, his "unknown yet unmet desire," the growing friendship between a quiet boy and a curious girl. Such unique and intriguing plot lines that are a blend of fantasy and realism. Fantasy is obviously present in the ghost's story but is fantasy in the boy's story? Is that pastry really a magical love potion? Why can he hear ghosts?
Spoiler
This last one is never really explained, but the lack of explanation had no effect on me because the story was so gripping and the ending was SO GOOD and very distractingLike The Book Thief, the dead narrator offers an excellent third person omniscient narrator to the story, while maintaining his own interesting storyline of discovering why he is stuck in between worlds. The first 200 pages of the book are very story and character based (like like!) and the last 100 pages turn into a mystery thriller which is pretty balla (triple like!).
Spoiler
I wasn't sure exactly what the baker's fantastical connection was. Sure, he was a demented serial killer, but why did he claim that kidnapping and torturing Jeremy was destined to happen, that Jeremy was "destined to visit me here in the great chamber, and I knew that it was important, but I did not know why[...]Here in front of our friends, we will match our...talents and see...how it all will end" (311). I thought that he was going to have a more fantastical connection to demons and he would communicate with Jacob's ghost, but apparently he had just heard about ghosts in Sweden and that was that.
Age: Kindergarten-3rd grade
Family: Inter-generational
Follow the life of a simple piece of rope along three generations of an African American family. I loved trying to find the rope in each gorgeous artwork. The text is perfect for younger kids but the story of the Great Migration can be elaborated on in older classrooms.
Family: Inter-generational
Follow the life of a simple piece of rope along three generations of an African American family. I loved trying to find the rope in each gorgeous artwork. The text is perfect for younger kids but the story of the Great Migration can be elaborated on in older classrooms.
Age: 6th-10th grade
"Eleven-year-old Melody has a photographic memory. Her head is like a video camera that is always recording. Always. And there's no delete button. She's the smartest kid in her whole school—but no one knows it. Most people—her teachers and doctors included—don't think she's capable of learning, and up until recently her school days consisted of listening to the same preschool-level alphabet lessons again and again and again. If only she could speak up, if only she could tell people what she thinks and knows . . . but she can't, because Melody can't talk. She can't walk. She can't write.
Being stuck inside her head is making Melody go out of her mind—that is, until she discovers something that will allow her to speak for the first time ever. At last Melody has a voice . . . but not everyone around her is ready to hear it" (Goodreads feature preview).
While Melody has a moody-and sometimes brutish-demeanor, her tenacity and humor pulls this book along. This book casts a light upon the potential and beauty in every child, regardless of their physical and mental disabilities. This book provides a fresh perspective on disabilities in children from the point-of-view of a child with cerebral palsy. However, the people outside of Melody's world are not given a chance to understand her condition before they are humiliated. An interesting issue is presented: how can the people living "outside" of disability issues understand them if their prejudices and assumptions run so deep? Does someone need to brutally expose their misconceptions?
"Eleven-year-old Melody has a photographic memory. Her head is like a video camera that is always recording. Always. And there's no delete button. She's the smartest kid in her whole school—but no one knows it. Most people—her teachers and doctors included—don't think she's capable of learning, and up until recently her school days consisted of listening to the same preschool-level alphabet lessons again and again and again. If only she could speak up, if only she could tell people what she thinks and knows . . . but she can't, because Melody can't talk. She can't walk. She can't write.
Being stuck inside her head is making Melody go out of her mind—that is, until she discovers something that will allow her to speak for the first time ever. At last Melody has a voice . . . but not everyone around her is ready to hear it" (Goodreads feature preview).
While Melody has a moody-and sometimes brutish-demeanor, her tenacity and humor pulls this book along. This book casts a light upon the potential and beauty in every child, regardless of their physical and mental disabilities. This book provides a fresh perspective on disabilities in children from the point-of-view of a child with cerebral palsy. However, the people outside of Melody's world are not given a chance to understand her condition before they are humiliated. An interesting issue is presented: how can the people living "outside" of disability issues understand them if their prejudices and assumptions run so deep? Does someone need to brutally expose their misconceptions?
AGE: 1 years-Kindergarten
Simple, fun, and definitely inviting. Plus, the kids DO get to push the button, causing some unexpected circumstances for our dear narrator.
Simple, fun, and definitely inviting. Plus, the kids DO get to push the button, causing some unexpected circumstances for our dear narrator.
Age: Preschool-1st grade
Animals: River dwellers
A magnificent interpretation of "Over in the Meadow" with text that flows and meter that actually works. Berkes has done this traditional song with several other habitats and their creatures (so I hope she could make it work). This book gets an extra star for all the supplementary material, too, including a map of the US and the highlighted river of each animal, a three sentence blurb on each animal, a couple paragraphs on river conservation, distinguishing from fact and fiction, tips for teachers, tips from the illustrator, and musical notation of the song. Phew!
Also a bonus is that Berkes includes the numerical number on each page to help with learning numbers. There is an unfortunate side to this book. The animals do not have the number of babies as given in this rhyme.
Animals: River dwellers
A magnificent interpretation of "Over in the Meadow" with text that flows and meter that actually works. Berkes has done this traditional song with several other habitats and their creatures (so I hope she could make it work). This book gets an extra star for all the supplementary material, too, including a map of the US and the highlighted river of each animal, a three sentence blurb on each animal, a couple paragraphs on river conservation, distinguishing from fact and fiction, tips for teachers, tips from the illustrator, and musical notation of the song. Phew!
Also a bonus is that Berkes includes the numerical number on each page to help with learning numbers. There is an unfortunate side to this book. The animals do not have the number of babies as given in this rhyme.
This book had a lot of potential with the title, but the story line really does have absolutely nothing to do with Little Red Riding Hood so it feels like the author just wanted to trick kids/caregivers to pick up her book because they are enticed by the title. The actual story is cute. The narrator wants to collect snow but a polar bear warns her that it is not possible to do that. Too bad I felt deceived.
Age: Preschool
There was nothing particularly memorable about this plot-based story, other than the artwork. The story was very straightforward about being lonely and finding happiness in a family. The characters received no special attention and the writing was bland. And nothing was learned that day.
There was nothing particularly memorable about this plot-based story, other than the artwork. The story was very straightforward about being lonely and finding happiness in a family. The characters received no special attention and the writing was bland. And nothing was learned that day.
The artwork is fantastic but the story is just so weird. The book includes several negative situations where no one has ever done certain things. But the family of the story will. There is an odd confusion with pronouns that I kept stumbling on (so I can't imagine it would be hard to interpret for a child).
There's one particular situation where the narrator declares that there are trees with apples and plums but no one eats them. And guess what? They eat them (which is unsettling to eat something wild that no one else does).
No one goes there. Will you?
"We will."
And they did.
There's one particular situation where the narrator declares that there are trees with apples and plums but no one eats them. And guess what? They eat them (which is unsettling to eat something wild that no one else does).