War with Grandpa by Robert Kimmel Smith June 1, 2010
Posted by jcarlson in : Family Fiction, Realistic Fiction , 1 comment so far
War with Grandpa is a good book for a good laugh. There is a boy named Peter whose grandma has just passed away. So Grandpa comes to live with him. Grandpa has a leg problem, so he has to sleep in Peter’s room. Peter is mad at Grandpa, so he starts a war with Grandpa. Does Peter get his room back or does Grandpa fight back? Read this book to find out.
~Emma, Fifth Grader~
The Report Card by Andrew Clements May 13, 2010
Posted by jcarlson in : Realistic Fiction, School Fiction , add a comment
Have you ever thought grades and tests were a bad way to measure how smart you are? Well, Nora the main character thinks so. To prove what she means she gets bad grades. Which makes her parents, the school and her teachers set out to find out why she is doing this. Nora tells the librarian and her friend about her plan but no one else.
To know the rest you should read this book and find out if people will realize what she is doing and if her plan worked!
I liked this book because it was interesting and showed the importance of standing up for yourself.
~Kasturi, Fourth Grader~
Extra Credit by Andrew Clements April 7, 2010
Posted by jcarlson in : Realistic Fiction, School Fiction , 4comments
Abby doesn’t like doing schoolwork, and she’s about to fail sixth grade. She makes a deal with her teachers that she will do all of her homework for the rest of the school year, get B’s on all the tests and quizzes, and do an extra credit project. Her project: find a pen pal in another country, share the letters with her classmates, design a bulletin board, and give a final report. Abby begins exchanging letters with Amira in Afghanistan. Or is Amira’s brother Sadeed really Abby’s pen pal? Read this realistic book to find out what happens when Abby tries to get extra credit and the traditions of two countries clash.
~Mrs. Carlson~
The Summer of Riley by Eve Bunting March 24, 2010
Posted by jcarlson in : Animal Fiction, Realistic Fiction , 7comments
Shortly after William gets Riley, something goes terribly wrong. Riley chases after their elderly neighbor’s horse, injuring it. The law states that Riley must be taken and put down. William tries to prove that Riley is a good dog and that he should be given one more chance despite his one mistake. William has 20 days to stop Riley from being killed. Can he and his friends save Riley? Read this book to find out.
~Tatyana, Fourth Grader~
Mick Harte was Here by Barbara Park February 22, 2010
Posted by jcarlson in : Family Fiction, Realistic Fiction , 3comments
If you like books by the author Barbara Park, then you will LOVE Mick Harte Was Here. It is about a boy named Mick Harte and his sister Phoebe. They have fights once in a while, but they love each other. When the tragic accident happened Phoebe was devastated. The two of them had so many great memories together; an example would be when Mick put a rubber eyeball into some meat, his mom freaked out. There are some very sad parts in this book, which are then made into funny or happy moments. To find out the devastating tragedy that happened to Mick, you will have to read this great book.
~Allie, Fifth Grader~
All Shook Up by Shelley Pearsall February 15, 2010
Posted by jcarlson in : Family Fiction, Realistic Fiction , 6comments
Do you know who Elvis is? What if your dad became an Elvis impersonator? Would you be embarrassed? That’s exactly what happened to Josh, and this is his story.
Josh’s parents are divorced. He usually lives with his mother, but he has to move to Chicago and live with his dad for a couple months. When he arrives, he discovers that his dad has lost his job at the shoe store and has become an Elvis impersonator. Josh does not know how to deal with his dad’s craziness. When the school Josh attends hires his dad to perform at a concert, Josh has to resort to extreme measures. It’s difficult being the new kid at school. He sure doesn’t need the other students finding out his dad dresses up in a white sequined jumpsuit and sways his hips as he croons old songs.
Very cute book!
~Mrs. Carlson~
The Landry News by Andrew Clements February 2, 2010
Posted by jcarlson in : Realistic Fiction , 8commentsRead these really good reviews by fourth grade students.
Do you like to read realistic fiction? Or do you like to read books by Andrew Clements? Well if you do, you will like the book The Landry News. This book is about a girl named Cara Landry, who starts her own newspaper. Her teacher Mr. Larson just sits in his chair, drinks coffee, and reads the newspaper. So one day, Cara decides to give her newspaper to him. Do you think Mr. Larson will get mad? Or teach his class something? Read this book to find out!
~Chloey, Fourth Grader~
Do you like reading books written by Andrew Clements like Lost and Found, The Report Card, Frindle, The School Story, No Talking, and many others? Well then this is the book for you! The Landry News is a great book that’s about the new girl Cara Landry who loves writing newspapers. She calls it The Landry News. Her fifth grade teacher Mr. Larson doesn’t do much teaching. He just sits there and reads his newspaper and sips his coffee! Once Cara finished her paper, she puts it up on the board. Soon, Mr. Larson finds it and is pleased that Cara likes making newspapers. When he sees the part about him not teaching, he isn’t so happy. Cara soon finds friends who help her make her newspaper on the computer and print copies. Will the teacher bust them? Read this book to find out!
~Jackie, Fourth Grader~
The main characters in The Landry News are Cara Landry, Joey, and Mr. Larson. Cara decided to make a newspaper to be improved by Mr. Larson. Mr. Larson did not like the newspaper because it said …. read the book to find out! If you like books by Andrew Clements, then this is the book for you. The setting takes place at school. And if you like newspapers, this is the book for you. If I liked this book, you should too!
~Zareanna, Fourth Grader~
Do you like books by Andrew Clements? If you do, you would like this book. It’s called The Landry News. A little about this book is that the main characters are Cara and Mr. Larson. But Mr. Larson the teacher doesn’t even teach the class! All he does is drink coffee and read the newspaper. What do you think the kids will do? Will Mr. Larson change? But then one day something was written in a paper called The Landry News. What will happen? To find out, read this book.
~Brittney, Fourth Grader~
If you like Frindle or Lunch Money, you will like this book. The Landry News is a book by Andrew Clements. It has 138 pages and is very interesting. This book is about a girl named Cara Landry. She started her own newspaper, and she gets in trouble. The Landry News has challenging words. The Landry News has many exciting parts too. I would recommend this book to anyone.
~Alana, Fourth Grader~
Blubber by Judy Blume January 27, 2010
Posted by jcarlson in : Friendship Fiction, Realistic Fiction , 3comments
Do you try to blend in with the kids that think they are cool? If you do, then read this book and you’ll probably change your mind! In this story, a girl named Jill makes fun of a girl named Linda along with the girls that think they are popular (even though they’re not) and call her Blubber, like a whale. On Halloween, Jill, her friend, and the popular girls play tricks on the people in their neighborhood. Will they get caught? Will Jill forget about the popular girls and be friends with Linda? Read to find out!
~Lily, Fourth Grader~
Lawn Boy by Gary Paulsen January 20, 2010
Posted by jcarlson in : Realistic Fiction , add a comment
What happens when a twelve year old boy receives an old lawn mower as a birthday gift? Is it possible for him to become wealthy running a mowing business? Can he actually afford to invest his money in a prizefighter? This funny book answers all these questions. If you read it, you’ll laugh while learning about economics.
~Mrs. Carlson~
How to Be a Girly Girl in Just Ten Days by Lisa Papademetriou October 7, 2009
Posted by jcarlson in : Realistic Fiction , 4comments
This is just one of the many books in the Candy Apple series. Nicolette Spicer, whose nickname is Nick, loves basketball and thinks more about buying new athletic shoes than new clothes or makeup. Then she meets a boy named Ben. Nick believes she has to become a girly girl if she wants Ben to notice her. Read this book to find out if Nick’s total makeover is successful.
~Mrs. Carlson~