Mockingjay

Title: Mockingjay

Author: Suzanne Collins

Series Reading #3

In the third and final book of the Hunger Games series the districts of Panem have finally rebelled. District 12 has been destroyed and Katniss and Peeta have been separated. While Peeta has been captured by the capitol, Katniss, her family, Gale, and Haymitch reside in the infamous district 13. Katniss has become the nation’s mockingjay, the symbol for rebellion and revolution. Without giving too much away, readers will not be disappointed by the final book in the series. Though I must admit the book got off to a slow start, Collins had me absolutely hooked by the middle. I couldn’t put the book down because I knew I had to figure out how the story ended! The ending to the series surprised me. I must commend Collins for keeping me on my toes in each book. The series is truly wonderful. 

As with the first two books, I would recommend this book to middle school students and up. I think a lot of great classroom discussions and projects can come from reading this series particularly if paired with the social studies and/or science curriculum. I’ve said this before and I’ll say it again, the best part of the series is that it appeals to such a wide variety of people. Whether you’re young, old, a man, a woman, a teacher, a student, chances are you will find some character in this series that you relate to and some part of the story that you love. Whether it’s the games themselves, the survival element, the love story, the futuristic setting, you name it, and this series has it all. This is a definite must read for those who have yet to pick it up.

A Bad Case of the Stripes

Title: A Bad Case of the Stripes 

Author: David Shannon 

Sci-Fi/Fantasy #3 

A Bad Case of the Stripes by David Shannon is about a young girl named Camilla Cream who wakes up one day with stripes on her skin. After being examined by a doctor, Camilla goes to school. As she finds out, her condition is much worse than she thought! During the Pledge of Allegiance her stripes turn into red, white, and blue with stars. Camilla is sent home and a whole host of specialists visit her but no one is able to pinpoint the source of the problem. In the end, Camilla finds out she is sick because she is denying the truth. She loves lima beans but won’t admit it in front of people at school. It takes a special old lady to remind Camilla to always be true to herself.

I personally really enjoyed this book. The illustrations were very colorful and intriguing, I loved looking at the wacky images of Camilla David Shannon created. I also enjoyed the underlying message the book had. It is important to remind children to remain true to themselves no matter what. They shouldn’t change for anyone and should aim to please themselves above all else. This is a difficult concept for students to learn that I thought was presented in a funny way. There are many fun follow up activities I can see being used with this book. I would recommend it to teachers for their classroom library.

The Witches

Title: The Witches

Author: Roald Dahl

Sci-Fi/Fantasy #2

"It doesn't matter who you are or what you look like, so long as somebody loves you." – Roald Dahl

The Witches is not my favorite Roald Dahl book. However, it is still worth reading. The story is about a young boy who experiences real witches. As Dahl describes, real witches do not wear black hats and ride broomsticks – they have ordinary lives and look like everyday people, making them extremely hard to find and catch. The only thing is, real witches hate children, and I mean hate them! Come to find out, even though the witches appear to look normal, they are truly bald and wear wigs, must wear gloves to hide their ugly fingers, and have eyes that can change colors. The main character gets turned into a mouse though his grandma still loves him despite what he looks like. To be entirely honest, this may have scared me a bit as a child.

Still, I think this book would be useful in the classroom. Some children were certainly enjoy it very much. Therefore, I would recommend that teachers in 4^th-6^th grade keep a copy in their classroom library. In the end, I believe the story teaches children to be loving and accepting of everyone. This is exemplified when the grandmother loves the boy even though he is now a mouse. The book is also good simply because of the fantasy world Dahl is able to create. Yet again, I felt completely transported and disconnected from reality. His books are truly engrossing and very, very good. After re-reading some of these childhood classics, Dahl is quickly moving up the list of my favorite authors of all time. 

The BFG

Title: The BFG

Author: Roald Dahl

Sci-Fi/Fantasy #1

When I was in fourth grade my teacher had us read The BFG. Having remembered loving the book as a child I decided to reread this one for old time’s sake and boy am I glad I did! I loved this book just as much as I did when I was a child. The story itself is about a little orphan girl named Sophie who is taken from her bed in the middle of the night by a big friendly giant (BFG). The BFG takes Sophie to his cave and at first she thinks he is going to eat her, but to her delight, she finds out that the BFG is a nice giant – not a man eating giant! While the BFG takes away bad dreams from children and blows in good ones, the other “mean” giants go around eating people! With the help of the BFG, Sophie designs a plan to stop them and you’ll never see the twist at the end of the story coming…it was truly too adorable for words!

I think this book is a must read for students in 4^th-6^th grade. It is funny, entertaining, and whimsical. It truly transports you to another world where all of your wildest dreams can come true. At times while I was reading I forgot about where I was and what I was doing. It is amazing that a book can do that to me the same way that it did when I was 10 years old. I would definitely recommend that teachers at these grade levels keep a copy of this book in their classrooms if not a group set so that it can be used for small group or whole group reading lessons. Roald Dahl is a truly amazing author and I believe this book can be read and enjoyed by all! 

Ivy and Bean

Title: Ivy and Bean

Author: Annie Barrows

Contemporary Realistic Fiction #2

This book is for younger readers – I would have been all over this book when I was in 2^nd/3^rd grade! It was beyond cute. The story follows Bean (sassy and dirty) and her neighbor Ivy (dainty and quiet). After playing a trick on her older sister, Bean escapes with the help of Ivy. Turns out, Ivy is secretively a witch in training and offers to cast a spell on Bean’s sister! Through this experience, the two girls become the best of friends. This story preaches the classic saying: don’t judge a book by its cover! You never know who can turn out to be a friend despite any differences you might have. This is a good message to share with children especially at this impressionable age.

I loved this book because of the sibling rivalry between Bean and her older sister. It reminded me of myself and my younger sister because we have never gotten along! The book also kind of reminded me of the Ramona books I read when I was young. The book is silly, has an adventure element to it, and describes a favorite topic of most seven-year-olds – getting in trouble! I personally loved reading about the friendship Ivy and Bean form. It was really just a cute book that I think children would love.

Another reason I enjoyed this book is because it is part of a series. Children at this level love series books and the Ivy and Bean series is a wonderful place to start. Young girls will relate to Ivy and Bean and the childhood struggles they encounter. As I stated, I would have loved this book as a child! This is definitely one for teachers to include in their classroom libraries. The text is large and easy to read but it complicated enough that kids can claim they have read “their first chapter book”. 

Shark Girl

Title: Shark Girl

Author: Kelly Bingham

 Contemporary Realistic Fiction #1

What can I say? I love sharks; so, when I picked up Shark Girl by Kelly Bingham I was very intrigued. When I found out that the book was also written in free verse poetry, I knew that I had to read it. Sharks and poetry? It must have been written for me. I can honestly say that I enjoyed the book. The story is about a young, teenage girl named Jane who innocently goes on a swim with her family during the summer. That is when everything changes and Jane becomes a victim. During the shark attack she loses her arm, and for someone who is an aspiring artist – this is devastating! To make matters worse, her attack was filmed and put on the news for everyone to see. Now she has sympathy cards, letters, and flowers from people she doesn’t even know. Everyone wants to be her friend but still everyone whispers and no one seems to care that she can’t even button her pants with ease anymore.

I found this story to be truly touching and eerily realistic. I felt like I was reading about an actual event, an actual teenage girl that experienced this. Though I couldn’t relate to the attack first-hand (though I can tell you, I don’t plan on getting in the ocean anytime soon!), I did relate to the alienation Jane felt. I believe this is something all teenagers can relate to regardless of their situation which is what makes this book so appealing. It is fun, interesting, and different while being completely relatable at the same time. I would definitely recommend this book for 6^th grade and up. It’s excellent and shows children that telling a story in poetry is just as effective as traditional story writing. 

More About Boy

Title: More About Boy

Author: Roald Dahl

Biography #5

Reading about Roald Dahl’s life was just about as strange as picking up a Roald Dahl book. It was truly interesting to read about all of the things he experienced as a child as many of these experiences seem to have influenced his later writings. For example, Dahl experienced a cruel headmaster much like the story many know and love, Matilda. Dahl also visited candy and sweet shops much like another story many know and love, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. One thing I particularly enjoyed about this book was the authentic feel it encompassed because of all of the artifacts it had. There are report cards, family photos, and letters – not to mention amazing illustrations that really make the story come alive.

I learned so much about Dahl from reading this book, such as him spending his time away at boarding school for most of his childhood and joining the Air Force when he got older. I would definitely recommend this book for classroom use, though I feel it to be most appropriate for older students. This book can appeal to a wide variety of age groups and interests. I feel like anyone can relate to at least one thing mentioned in this book which makes it highly relatable and versatile. Most of all, I would recommend this story to any Roald Dahl fan. As I mentioned before, Dahl’s personal history sheds an important light on his later writings that I feel most people would find to be very interesting.