Sunday, November 30, 2014

The Contract

 

Okay, so he played for the Yankees and not the Red Sox ;0  Once I get past that and onto the book itself and its message I was all good.  At 151 pages it is pretty light fare and it moves along quickly.  I am not really a baseball fan - there wasn't too much baseball lingo, etc that I got lost but enough to satisfy a young fan.  The plot wasn't overly deep but had some very good messages about the contract Derek signed with his parent - respect, the importance of grades, teamwork.  Definitely a worthwhile book.

Saturday, November 29, 2014

The Perfect Place

 

Treasure's dad has run off and her mom decides to try and find him leaving Treasure and her sister, Tiffany, with GAG (Great Aunt Grace).  Even though Treasure doesn't want to, she makes friends in the small town and even grows to appreciate her Aunt.  But she needs to hold out for her dad's return and their search for "the perfect place" - right???  

This was a solid book that looks at what we might dream for and what we might actually get.  What is the perfect place really?  The length was good for my audience.  While it may not be the best book ever written I thought it was good.

Egg and Spoon

 

This is the best book I have read all year.  The imagery, language of the narrator, the differing viewpoints, the folklore, the sass...I loved it.

Elena is a poor peasant girl in Tsarist Russia.  Her father is dead, her mother is sick, one brother is a servant, and one was conscripted into the army.  When a train rolls into town she "befriends" Ekaterina who is on her way to St. Petersburg with her great-aunt to meet the Tsar's godson.  When the train leaves Cat (Ekaterina) fall off with their gift of a Faberge egg, Elena is left in her place.  On their differing journeys they meet some interesting characters - Babi Yaga in particular, learn about themselves, and try to rescue Russia with both the Fabrege egg and a Firebird egg.  

This truly was a fabulous book.  My one concern is length - I don't think my students have the stamina for it and that is really too bad.

Friday, November 28, 2014

Behind the Badge

 

This was an informative book about the history of "police" throughout history starting including ancient Greece, the Wild West, the Mounties, the history of police in the US, and also investigative techniques through the ages.   It was informative and relatively brief.  For students interested in police in general this would be a good introductory book.


Thursday, November 27, 2014

The 26-Story Treehouse

 

It seems like I have seen and heard about this book for a long time so I was surprised to see that it was just published in the US this year.  I have never read The 13-Story Treehouse but didn't feel like I needed to in order to follow this one.  Madcap, over the top, funny...I thought it was great.

Wednesday, November 26, 2014

Comics Squad Recess

 

What a fun graphic novel!!  With contributions from the biggest names in graphic novels from kids - Jennifer and Matthew Holm, Raina Telgemeier, Dav Pilkey, Jarrett J. Krosoczka, and more it is sure to be a winner.  With familiar and unfamiliar characters, ninjas, cupcakes, and recess how could you go wrong.  This is a winner.