Escaping the Giant Wave by Peg Kehret January 14, 2009
Posted by jcarlson in : Adventure , 4comments
Escaping the Giant Wave is about a boy named Kyle and his sister, Beebee. Their parents have to go on a business trip in Oregon and take Kyle and Beebee with them. The family has to move to the Totem Pole Hotel because their hotel wasn’t finished being built. Finding out that the school bully was in the same hotel wasn’t fun. The children were worried when they found a tsunami warning sign on the beach. They were told not to be concerned. Their parents then had to go on a cruise and leave them at the hotel all alone! While their parents were away, there was an earthquake, followed by a fire, followed by a tsunami! Will Kyle and Beebee make it out before the wave hits? Will their parents be okay? Read Escaping the Wave to find out!
~Katie, Fifth Grader~
Hank Zipzer: The Zippity Zinger by Henry Winkler January 12, 2009
Posted by jcarlson in : Humorous Fiction, School Fiction , 2comments
In this book, Hank Zipzer is playing catch with his grandpa, Papa Pete, but something is different about his throwing: instead of just falling to the ground, the ball went right into the center of Papa Pete’s mitt. Hank was on fire, so his friends, Frankie Townstand and Ashley Wong, ask him to be on the Yellow softball team. He says no. Hank thinks his amazing throwing is because of his sister’s lucky monkey socks (which he accidentally put on to play catch), and his sister needs them too! Can Hank make a comback and pitch for his team? Read to find out!
I liked this book because it’s funny, and it has a lot of jokes in it.
~Carmen, Fifth Grader~
The Cay by Theodore Taylor January 12, 2009
Posted by jcarlson in : Friendship Fiction, Historical Fiction , 25comments
Phillip, his mom, and his dad lived on Curacao, an island. Phillip’s mom wanted to move because she didn’t like the smell of oil and gas, so she decided to move from the island they live on to Virginia. Phillip doesn’t want to go on a ship called the SS Hato. It gets torpedoed because they are in the middle of a war. Everyone is in the water, but Phillip gets hit on the head with something. Not long after, Phillip wakes up to see that he is on a raft in the middle of the ocean with an African American named Timothy. The next day Phillip goes blind, and they see a cay and live on it. After a few months, they get hit by a hurricane, and Timothy dies. Now Phillip is blind and alone with a cat named Stew Cat. Does he get rescued? Read and find out.
~Alan, Fifth Grader~
Series of Unfortunate Events: The Bad Beginning by Lemony Snicket January 12, 2009
Posted by jcarlson in : Family Fiction, Humorous Fiction , 10comments
The Bad Beginning is about the Baudelaire orphans, Violet, Klaus, and Sunny. One day when they were at the beach, they got a message that their parents died in a house fire, and they will stay with Count Olaf. They stayed there for a few days, and they didn’t like him. He made them do chores all day, and he was so mean. Count Olaf’s goal was to get a hold of the Baudelaire fortune. He tried to marry Violet, but it didn’t work. I liked this book because you don’t know what the kids will do next.
~Jenna, Fifth Grader~
MATH-terpieces: The Art of Problem-Solving by Greg Tang January 10, 2009
Posted by jcarlson in : Nonfiction , 3comments
Greg Tang has written quite a few picture books about math. This one is my favorite. It combines clever poems, pattern math, and famous works of art. MATH-terpieces … MASTERPIECES … get it? The illustrator, Greg Paprocki, uses objects from famous paintings to set up math patterns. Here’s an example: For “Starry Night” by van Gogh, Greg Tang writes:
See the nighttime all aglow?
It’s the vision of van Gogh!
Bright exploding, swirling stars,
cosmic forces from afar.
Can you group the stars in heaven?
Find four ways to make a 7!
Although the math is pretty easy, the use of art and poetry makes this a very enjoyable book for all ages. Look for other terrific math books, for all ages, in the 500’s section of the library.
~Mrs. Gaston~
To visit Greg Tang’s web site, go to http://www.gregtang.com.
Help Me, Mr. Mutt!: Expert Answers for Dogs with People Problems by Janet Stevens January 7, 2009
Posted by jcarlson in : Humorous Fiction, Picture Books , 6comments
Snowball by Ellen Miles January 5, 2009
Posted by jcarlson in : Animal Fiction, Podcasts, Realistic Fiction , 17comments
Do you know someone who loves dogs and is beginning to read chapter books? Puppy Place is the perfect series for this child. Written at about a second grade reading level, each book is about a different puppy that the Peterson family wants to place in a good home.
Snowball is the second book in the series. It’s about a West Highland white terrier that somebody left in a box at the local gas station. After taking the puppy to the vet, the Peterson family brings it home to nurse it back to health and to find the perfect home.
The books in this series are educational and fun. In each book, the reader learns about a different breed of dog. Throughout the story, there are paragraphs written in italics that describe the puppy’s thoughts. At the end of the book, there are “Puppy Tips” to teach the reader how to take care of a new puppy.
~Mrs. Carlson~
If you’d like to hear what Snowball may have sounded like when he met his new owner, listen to the podcast below.
Tiger, Tiger by Lynne Reid Banks January 2, 2009
Posted by jcarlson in : Animal Fiction, Historical Fiction, Podcasts , 3comments
To find out if you’d like to read this book by the author of The Indian in the Cupboard, please listen to the podcast by Mrs. Carlson.