Mary Poppins

I've seen the movie and the play on Broadway, but had never read the book. Anyone who likes Nanny McFee will love this book about an unusual nanny who "breaks" the unruly Banks children through her magical presence. Although I knew this was a book, I did not know it was a series, so even though th emovie ends with her flying away, clearly there is more to tell about this beloved character.

Although I have read a ton of our AR Classic titles, I am reading along with the kids to finish the required 14 by the May, 2012 deadline. I wonder if anyone will read 14 before me?

Chasing Vermeer

I love anything with math, and this book works pentonimoes into its art mystery for a clever story. Petra and Calder manages to get themselves involved in an international art scandal with a missing Vermeer painting. Clues and connections allow these kids to piece together what's going on, as they consider everyone a suspect. They use their problem solving skills to figure things out.

Two other books follow in this series-Wright3 and Calder Game.

Wonder Struck

This book has not been released yet, but I was given a publisher's copy from Scholastic. Brian Selznick won the Caldecott Medal a couple of years ago with his work The Invention of Hugo Cabret. His unique approach combining a text with a series of successive pencilled illustrations was fun to "read." The pictures allow the reader to infer what is happening, which is awesome!

In Wonder Struck, we meet Ben, who recently lost his mother and is living with his aunt, uncle and cousins. While snopping in his old home, he comes across some curious information that leads him to believe his mom had some secrets and they may lead to the identity of his father.

Again, I loved the illustrative component of this book, but unlike Hugo Cabret, this book has a story within a story and it is predominantly told through the pictures. The 600+ pages seem intimidating, but they race by as the story unfolds.

If you like this book, you will probably like From the Mixed Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler too.

Stink: Solar System Superhero

Stink is learning about the solar system in school and learns the mnemonic "My Very Excellent Mother Just Served Us Nine Pizzas" to help him remember the names of all the planets in order. The only problem is, Pluto is no longer considered a planet. Stink battles a classmate, who has even been to Space Camp, over the status of Pluto.

Leven Thumps and the Gateway to Foo

Leven Thumps is an orphan placed with his horrible aunt (but don't call her that) and uncle. Fate puts him in contact with a protective guardian, an ice-generating side kick, and the former ruler of Foo. Together they must save the existence of this special world that all of man's dreams and hopes and aspirations depend up before the power hungry Sabine takes over the real world.

Only Leven is able to close the gateway between the worlds. From his home in Oklahoma, he must battle other worldly creatures and shadows and race against the clock to the other side of the world.

Two thumbs up! Although I'd love to wholeheartedly dig into fantasy, I have yet to find a series that I can do that with and completely enjoy. I finally found one! Leven Thumps was fun to read and the author has a bit of humor wiggled in which made it especially fast to read.

Satch and Me

Dan Gutman really can hook a reader. I love the My Weird School series and even though I'm not much of a baseball fan, I totally enjoyed this book.

Stosh has the ability to hold an older baseball card and magically transport himself and a guest to another to that place and time. This time it is to see Satchel Paige. With the help of his little league coach, flip, the pair are set out to determine if Satch is actually the fastest pitcher ever. They bring a radar gun with them to measure, and find some rather tense moments when the past is exposed tot the future.

Boys and girls will like this book, since it doesn't spent too much time focused on baseball itself. It does a great job of taking about the era and what it was like being different in the 1940s.

The Homerun King

Patricia McKissack writes great historical fiction. I enjoyed reading this book after I finished Satch and Me. The two stories really paralleled, sharing both Josh Gibson and Satchel Paige, but each focused on their own character.

The Homerun King has Josh Gibson staying as a guest in a home while traveling for games in the Negro League. He is a hero to these boys and they but themselves to work just to be able to watch him in action.

I Survived the Sinking of the Titanic, 1912

This is my first read in the I Survived series, and it was good. Inquisitive George is aboard the Titanic with his sister and aunt. They meet the architect of the ship and he answers every one of George's questions on how the ship was designed. This became extremely important when George goes exploring while the others are asleep. While in the baggage area, he feels the bump of a collision with the iceberg and returns to his room, only to discover his baby sister is off looking for him as the ship begins to sink.

The Memory String

Ugh! I have to admit this book made me tear up! I pride myself on dodging tear jerkers at all costs and this one crept up on me.

It is a highly realistic story of a girl adjusting to the remarriage of her father and the acceptance of the stepmother.

The memory string holds generations of buttons, each with a tale. When the string is broken, the buttons scatter throughout the yard. Most are easy to locate, but the final one remains in the grass. The girl eavesdrops from her bedroom and is pleasantly surprised by the character of her her new stepmom. The next morning is a fresh start in building this new family.

This could be a good story to share with younger ones who are struggling with a change in their home structure due to divorce or loss of a parent.

The Wednesday Surprise

Another touching story of a grandmother and granddaughter that spend Wednesday evenings together secretly conspiring for a birthday surprise for dad. The reader is kept in the dark on what the surprise is, just as the rest of the characters in the story are. From this, you can tell the special relationship these two ladies have. I won't spoil the surprise!

Shortcut

There are nine short chapters to this picture book. Some with as few as four sentences. Mostly each chapter stands on its own, and parts of them intermingle. It took me two readings to see the logic and detailing in the pictures. Maybe I was tired when I read it???? Hopefully the kids will get it or give it that second read to enjoy.

Dawdle Duckling/Ready or Not, Dawdle Duckling

Toni Buzzeo is a role model within the library community. She writes books for teachers and kids, so when she agreed to speak to my 4th graders via Skype on Show Don't Tell, I needed to stock up on her books.

These two titles feature a duck family where three of the ducks are obedient, but Dawdle Duckling beats to his own drum. He is cute and playful and you enjoy his curiosity.

Fly Away Home

Wow! Awesome! Touching! Real!

A boy and his dad are residents in the airport. The boy details the way he and his father must sneak aound, blend in, and avoid any form of attention grabbing so they do not jeopardize their set up, as many others have. When the dad goes to work on the weekends, his son is watched by another homeless family.

A sensitive way to share with young ones about the topic of homeless people.

Charlie the Caterpillar

I was excited to see this was written by Dom DeLuise, the comedian from the 70s and 80s. I had high hopes for a cute spin on the caterpillar turning into a butterfly deal, but it didn't really work for me. The metamorphis was almost upstaged by the secondary (primary??) storyline of people not wanting to be friends with the ugly caterpillar. Once he changes into a beautiful butterfly, all the sudden everyone wants to hang out with him. He realizes real friends wouldn't care what you look like. Maybe it was trying to pack in too much into one book, but it wouldn't be my go-to in a lifecycle lesson.

I am the Dog / I am the Cat

What a great, creative book. Written as a reader's theater between a cat and a cat as they state there own opinions of a similar topic. For instance, the subject of a stranger is used. The dog barks bravely to frighten them while the cat is indifferent and just longing for a lap to sit upon. As the book progresses they turn their opinions onto each other.

As I read this book I thought of it as a fun literary integration with animal research. Two students could independently research animals for a science/research project, then compare and contrast their creatures in a similar fashion. It could make a cute class book.

Miss Alaineus

Peepered with alliteration and multimeaning words, Miss Alaineus follows the vocabulary disaster of a fifth grade girl, Sage. When absent one day, she calls a friend to get the week's vocabulary words. She misunderstands the final word, miscellaneous, which leads to her own misinterpretation of the word and a bit of humiliation. The drawings are unique, the story is cute, and the reading level is high for a picture book (5.3). Good for literary device lesson on alliteration, context clues as she determine's what Miss alaineus means, and using personal experiences to write a story.

The Best Story

A writing contest at the library leads one little girl on a quest for "the best story." She seeks advice from everyone, but the tales are never quite right. Finally, she listens to her mother's advice and learns to write from her own heart.

A good "beginning of the school year" book in kicking off good writing habits or for those who can't ever think of anything to write about.

The Buddy Files: The Case of the Lost Boy

King, a lovable golden retriever, finds himself in the P-O-U-N-D after bouncing from place to place when his family went on vacation. He and his human, Kayla, were a mystery solving duo and he is determined to figure out where she is so his family can be reunited.

While in the P-O-U-N-D King gets adopted by a new family. As luck would have it, they just moved into his old neighborhood so he has the perfect opportunity to figure out where his missing family is. While exploring his old yard, Connor, his new boy, goes missing and "Buddy" now has a more pressing mystery to solve.

Sun Up, Sun Down

This is a clear and simplistic book for young learners as they understand the role the Sun plays on Earth. The light and warmth, its impact on life and the water cycle, how shadows are cast, changes with seasons, and consequences without it.

The Odd Egg

A quick story about a bunch of random birds who all have an egg, except Duck. Each egg hatches and goes to its mother, but Duck's doesn't hatch immediately. Once it does, an alligator pops out and scares all the birds away. Well, except for Duck, who becomes its mom.

Rabbits, Rabbits, and More Rabbits

Great illustrated nonfiction book on the many types of rabbits. Gibbons covers the needs of wild rabbits and the responsibilities of caring for a domestic rabbit. Here illustrations cover habitats, kit independence, and survival skills. Rich vocabulary is used throughout, along with diagraming of the rabbit anatomy.

Mrs. Spitzer's Garden

This is a wonderful book that could be read at the beginning or end of a school year. The metaphor is a garden and planting seeds and nurturing the plants. It shows how different plants grow at different rates due to varying circumstances, but all bloom in their time. The reference ties back to the students and the teacher's impact on helping her garden grow.

Interrupting Chicken

It's bedtime for Little Red Chicken and papa tries to get her to bed. As papa begins the story, he asks Little Red Chicken not to interrupt, and the little one promises. Rather than let dad get to the good part of when Hansel and Gretel follow the sweet old woman into her house, Little Red Chicken bursts in with "out jumped Little Red Chicken and she warns the kids she's a witch." This goes on and on until papa becomes real tired and becomes the one read to.

Maybelle Goes to Tea

This sequel to Maybelle in the Soup has Maybelle up to her usual. She tries to abide by the three rules of the cockroach world: 1) When it's light, stay out of sight, 2) if you are spied, better hide, and 3) never meet with human feet, but finds the food way to tempting. This time, the very particular Peabody's are hosting a tea, and although Maybelle knows she should steer clear, the yummy Chocolate Suprises and an annoying fly named Maurice draw her out from safety. Beware of the Bug Man!

Zack Proton and the Red Giant

I haven't ever read a Zack Proton book before, but having to replace these overloved titles for my library shelves, forced tme to give it a try! To me, this is a great boys book. Zack is a galactic hero in this Captain Underpantsy science fiction story. In this adventure, Zack mistakenly chooses the wrong door and ends up ejected from his space ship while delivery mail to a galaxy far, far away. Luckily the world's last space monkey, Omega Chimp, is passing him, so he boards this new ship in the hope of recovering his lost Risky Rascal ship. While on its trail, Omega Chimp and Zack come across the bad guy of space - Big Large!

The Books of Elsewhere: The Shadows

Olive's family moves into a their first house. It has a bit of a history that makes this lonely girl both curious and nervous. The creepy pictures that hang throughout the home were left by the previous owner and keep Olive both drawn to them and fearful of their images. When she discovers magical spectacles, she realizes the pictures come to life! While traveling throughout the walls she learns a bit about the former - and current - occupants.

Paws, claws, Hands, and Feet

A dream adventure through many environments and many animal types based on the theme of how animals get around. There are many educational resources associated with this book through the SylvanDell website that are cross-curricular and involve higher thinking.

Ish

A wonderful story on art, self confidence, and suffixes! Ha! Ramon questions his artisitc ability and learns that art and its beauty are in the eyes of the beholder. Additionally, the suffix -ish is used repeatedly to show how descriptors are used creatively and change a words meaning.

This book has a good moral lesson, but is an excellent entre into suffixes.

Henry Hikes to Finchburg

Henry and his friend decide to go to Finchburg to see the country. Henry chooses to walk there, while his friend decides to work and earn money so he can take the train.

The story follows both bears are their journeys lead them to town - the friend earning money for every job he gets and Henry as he "stops and smells the roses" along his hike.

Good discussions for which way was "best" and advantages to either way. Younger students can calculate the money Henry's friend earns along the way (coins and under a dollar).

The story is based on Henry David Thoreau, the writer.