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The Tiger Rising by Kate DiCamillo July 11, 2011

Posted by jcarlson in : Family Fiction, Friendship Fiction, Realistic Fiction , 1 comment so far

Can you imagine finding a caged tiger in the woods?  That’s exactly what happens to twelve year old Rob.  He wants to show the beautiful animal to someone, but he’s not sure who.   He’s new in town, so he doesn’t have any friends.  Matter of fact, he seems to have a lot of enemies.  His mother has died recently, and he’s not communicating very well with his father.  Then he meets Sistine.  He realizes that she’s the one with whom he can share his secret.  Sistine wants to release the tiger, but Rob knows that could cause serious trouble.  Read this book to find out how the tiger helps both Rob and Sistine face their problems.

~Mrs. Carlson~

Mockingbird by Kathryn Erskine June 12, 2011

Posted by jcarlson in : Family Fiction, Realistic Fiction , add a comment

Caitlin is very smart and a wonderful artist.  Unfortunately, she suffers from Asperger’s syndrome which means she has a tough time communicating with others and understanding their emotions. Her brother Devon, who helped her by advising her on how to behave, has been killed in a school shooting.  Caitlin must learn how to deal with her loss.   Her father is grief-stricken, so he can’t provide much help.  After consulting her beloved dictionary, Caitlin realizes she and her father need closure.  Read this heartwarming story to find out how Caitlin finally finds closure. 

~Mrs. Carlson~

The Lemonade War by Jacqueline Davies May 29, 2011

Posted by jcarlson in : Family Fiction, Friendship Fiction, Realistic Fiction , 5comments

How would you feel if your younger sister was advanced a grade and she wound up in your class? Angry? Jealous? Embarrassed?  Evan felt all of these emotions when he heard the news that his sister Jessie was going to be in his class in the upcoming school year.

Evan and Jessie had always gotten along very well … until now.  They declared war, a lemonade war.  Winner takes all. This realistic fiction book was great fun to read.  It has humor, math, business tips, and a super ending.  This book is a perfect summer read!

~Mrs. Carlson~

Out of My Mind by Sharon M. Draper May 24, 2011

Posted by jcarlson in : Family Fiction, Friendship Fiction, Realistic Fiction , add a comment

Can you imagine having a million thoughts in your mind and not being able to talk? Eleven year old Melody is very smart, probably the smartest kid in her school. However, she has cerebral palsy. She can’t walk, feed herself, get dressed, or talk. Finally she discovers something that will allow her to communicate. It changes her world. Unfortunately, she still faces disappointment and heartbreak. Read this touching book and meet Melody, a girl you’ll never forget. She’ll teach you some valuable lessons about disabled people.

~Mrs. Carlson~

Word After Word After Word by Patricia MacLachlan April 10, 2011

Posted by jcarlson in : Poetry Fiction, Realistic Fiction, School Fiction , add a comment

Writing can be so difficult for some students.  When Ms. Mirabel visits a fourth grade classroom, she teaches the students how to write.  They learn to connect their stories and poems to their own lives.  The book focuses on five of the students, Lucy, Henry, Evie, Russell, and May.  Each one learns that writing can change his or her life … word after word after word.  This is a powerful story with amazing language.  I loved it!

~Mrs. Carlson~ 

Greetings from Nowhere by Barbara O’Connor January 12, 2011

Posted by jcarlson in : Family Fiction, Friendship Fiction, Realistic Fiction , add a comment

The main setting of this book is the shabby old Sleepy Time Motel in Shawnee Gap, North Carolina.  Aggie, an old widow, decides to sell her motel even though it’s filled with fond memories of her husband.  During her final days living at the motel, three children wind up staying there.  Like Aggie, each child’s life has recently changed, and they’re all struggling to cope with the change.  The old motel becomes a place for all of them to find friendship and hope.  This heartwarming book reminds you that everyone has problems, and friends can help you handle them.

~Mrs. Carlson~

The Strange Case of Origami Yoda by Tom Angleberger December 18, 2010

Posted by jcarlson in : Humorous Fiction, Realistic Fiction , add a comment

I really liked this book.  It’s funny, and yet it’s very true to life.  A nerdy middle school student named Dwight wears an origami finger puppet that looks like Yoda from Star Wars.  The puppet gives advice to students in need.  Tommy, another middle school student, tries to figure out if Yoda is giving the advice or if it’s really Dwight. 

The book is organized in an interesting fashion with different students telling their experiences.  It seems that each student learns a valuable lesson from Yoda.  Tommy comments on each student’s contribution.

If you like the Diary of a Wimpy Kid books, you’ll like this one. 

~Mrs. Carlson~

The Small Adventure of Popeye and Elvis by Barbara O’Connor November 16, 2010

Posted by jcarlson in : Friendship Fiction, Realistic Fiction , add a comment

Barbara O’Connor, the author of this book, wrote How to Steal a Dog, which I really liked.  It’s a great example of realistic fiction.  The narrator is a girl whose family is homeless, and she tells her story with honesty and humor.  Unfortunately, I didn’t enjoy The Small Adventure of Popeye and Elvis because I didn’t like the characters.

In this book, young Popeye’s summer has been really boring.  Life becomes more interesting when the Jewell family’s motor home gets stuck in the mud near Popeye’s house.    The Jewells aren’t going anywhere for a while.  Popeye starts hanging around with Elvis Jewell.  Elvis uses foul language, doesn’t follow rules, and gets in trouble all the time.  Popeye thinks Elvis is cool and hangs out with him as much as he can.  The two boys are looking for adventure when a series of small homemade boats with secret messages come floating down a nearby river.  They set out to find the maker of the boats and the meaning of the messages. 

Even though I didn’t like this book, some kids will really enjoy the humor and the adventure.  If you decide to give it a try, be prepared for interesting and difficult vocabulary.

~Mrs. Carlson~

The Talent Show by Dan Gutman October 12, 2010

Posted by jcarlson in : Friendship Fiction, Realistic Fiction, School Fiction , 1 comment so far

Dan Gutman is one of my favorite children’s authors.  I have read all of his books, and my two favorites are Getting Air and The Million Dollar Putt.    Kids seem to really like The Homework Machine and the My Weird School series.

When I saw that Mr. Gutman had published a new book called The Talent Show, I had to read it.  It takes place in Cape Bluff, Kansas.  After a tornado, the town decides to have a talent show to raise money to help rebuild the school.  The winner will get a Hummer.  There are a lot of talented kids in Cape Bluff.  But there are also a lot of kids with no talent.  Who will win?    Will it be Paul and his band who love to play rock and roll?  Or Julia, a lovely ballet dancer?  Perhaps it will be Elke who can sing like an angel or Richard who can rap like Eminem.  Is it possible that drumming gorillas could win?  Or the kid who pretends to be sizzling bacon?  You’ll have to read this book to find out the winner.

~Mrs. Carlson~

How to Steal a Dog by Barbara O’Connor October 11, 2010

Posted by jcarlson in : Realistic Fiction , 6comments

Watch this Voice Thread by Miss Kovach’s class to learn about the book!

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