Raina has always wanted a sister but when Amara comes along she isn't what Raina expected. The book was cute and I am sure a lot of my students will relate to it. It is highly anticipated - kids are already clamoring for it. I personally didn't like it as well as Smile. The ending seemed abrupt to me. Were the sisters closer because of their time alone in the desert and finding the snake? Was the snake in the van "the incident"? I was a bit confused but I think my students will eat it up.
This was a cute little book about a girl Suzannah who is unable to have a pet because she lives in an apartment. Instead, she volunteers at an animal shelter. While there she meets Jelly Bean, a guinea pig in need of adoption. Through the story Suzannah and her friends work together to help get Jelly Bean adopted.
At 128 pages this was great for early chapter book readers, especially with the content area. I can really see my 3rd and 4th graders enjoying this. It also had facts about guinea pigs, animal shelters, and how to make some of the things mentioned in the book.
Poppy has been cared for by her grandmother ever since her parents died when she was one. But know her grandmother has suffered a stroke and is in the hospital and Poppy is living at a shelter. When she tries to go see her grandmother she becomes a witness to a theft and murder. Attempting to protect her Detective Brannigan has her stay with his mother while they search for the suspect. Trouble is...Poppy kind of likes staying with the Brannigans and helped with Gunner a shelter dog that everyone else gives up on. Maybe she doesn't want to identify the suspect because then she may be sent back to the shelter.
There was quite a bit of heart to this story. Poppy went through a lot of emotions and decisions. Her impulsiveness led to several problems but yet her patience and determination helped the dog, Gunner. I enjoyed this one.
Imagine what it would be like to be looking at images of yourself online and then realizing that some of the pictures look just like you but aren't you. This is what happens to Ruth Quayle and how she finds Ruby Starling. Ruth knows she is adopted and that she suffered from heart issues when she was born in NY. Ruby lives in England. As they e-mail each other they discover the truth and some things about themselves in the process.
I actually liked this a lot more than I thought I would. The cover was a bit fluffy but there was actually a lot of heart to this. I did think it lagged a bit in the middle - lots of back and forth and teenage girl drama but all in all it was an interesting read.
Frank is always late. He has to help a stray cat, participate in a dance off, or fight off an ogre. His teacher and classmates are frustrated until one day the school is attacked and Frank must come to the rescue.
On my first read I didn't really get it.... Then I went back and looked at the illustrations more carefully and read it again. A lot of the humor is in the illustrations and someone doing a read-aloud will need to draw attention to it. I still wasn't sure why after the class all worked together that Frank was always on time...it didn't seem to follow for me. The book was cute though and I can see my younger students liking it.
Duke is on the Maine Student Book Award list for this year and when I looked at Dash I was expecting a similar book. The book also takes place during World War II but in this book Mitsi is of Japanese descent and is sent to the camps with her family. During the book she suffers from the prejudicial attitudes at the time and learns to make the best of the situation. Her dog, Dash, is not allowed to go with the family to the camps and is taken care of by her neighbor. Throughout the story, Dash writes letters to Mitsi and she writes back. She later finds out the letters were actually written by her friend Mags.
As I have been promoting Duke this year for MSBA I have warned the kids that despite the title and the cover that book is more about the boy than the dog. It is the same with Dash...the book is mainly about Mitsi. Not a real problem...the book was good...but I want kids to know.
Beautifully written poetic memoir about Jacqueline Woodson's life in South Carolina and Brooklyn in the 60s and 70s. What I liked about it was the contrast in her life which is reflected in the poetry. Well done.
