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! 

Catching Fire

Title: Catching Fire

Author: Suzanne Collins 

Series Reading #2 

Suzanne Collins has done it again; I absolutely loved the second Hunger Games novel. Though I admit it started off slowly, by the middle of the book I couldn't put it down. Even in the beginning when the story development was a little slow I feel like there was much so much character development that it was almost necessary. There were a few times throughout the novel that I was absolutely shocked by what happened and did not see the events coming at all. The book was not predictable like many series readings are and I commend Collins for her ability to keep the reader intrigued. Every time that I thought I had the story figured out another element to the story surfaced. My ideas of the characters and the events were constantly changing as they will undoubtedly continue to change as I begin the third novel. For example, I still can't decide if I am "team Peeta" or "team Gale"; I love both characters so much that I can't choose and every time I think that I have made up my mind one of them does something that makes me love them even more. In a way, this mirrors what Katniss feels for the two men in her life which I believe is done masterfully.

Another thing I liked about Catching Fire was the fact that Collins was able to capture enough elements from the first novel that it was familiar, but, at the same time, was able to bring in so many new characters and twists to the story that there was considerable story progression. Katniss, for example, gained so much sophistication in this novel and matured an incredible amount. This is something that I feel is lost in many series readings; sometimes, I feel as if the story doesn't go anywhere and that I am reading the same story over and over again with little to no character development. This is clearly not the case with the Hunger Games series at all. The story is exciting and ever changing and truly keeps you on your toes. On a final note, I must comment Collins for her ability to transport the audience into another world. Time and time again I felt myself believing I was a spectator and that I was right alongside Katniss as she was experiencing everything. The amount of detail and precision used in her writing is spectacular and makes reading the series all the more fascinating. The Hunger Games series is quickly becoming one of my favorite series of all time.

The Hunger Games

Title: The Hunger Games

Author: Suzanne Collins

Series Reading #1 

It has been a long time since I have found myself staying up all night to finish a book and that is exactly what happened with The Hunger Games; I literally couldn’t put the book down. Set in the future in a country known as Panem (modern day North America) that is broken up into twelve districts and a capitol, the story follows a young girl named Katniss and her struggles to survive in district 12 with her family after the death of her father. In Panem, The Hunger Games is an annual event that requires one boy and girl from each district aged 12 to 18 to be randomly chosen to participate in a televised event in which they must fight to the death to find the ultimate victor. Without giving too much of the story away, Katniss finds herself being a part of the event and the remainder of the story follows Katniss as she enters the games. 

There are so many aspects of this book that I enjoyed; I don’t even know where to start. I guess first of all I enjoyed that there was a strong female character to lead the story. I saw a lot of myself in Katniss which is a big part of why I think I enjoyed the story so much. I also enjoyed the character dynamics and the relationships presented. The bonds Katniss clearly has with her mother, her sister, and her friend, Gale, from home are clearly undeniable. However, she also forms some important bonds while competing in the game. Some of the death scenes are very heartbreaking because of this. Another reason I loved the story is because of the excitement and suspense Collins was able to keep up throughout the book. I never knew what was going to happen next and the story kept me guessing the entire time. Finally, being the sucker for romance that I am, I absolutely adored the love triangle between Peeta, Katniss’s fellow district 12 in the games, Gale, her friend from back home, and Katniss herself. Though it wasn’t the center of the story, it was tastefully intertwined with the rest of the plot.

Stories like these are great for classroom use because almost anyone can enjoy them. Males will like them because it isn’t all about a cheesy romance; there is definitely a survival/outdoorsy element to it that boys would enjoy. Females with like it because there is a strong main character they can relate to and that romantic aspect. Both will enjoy it for the suspenseful element. Though the subject matter itself is rather gruesome, there aren’t any particularly “inappropriate” scenes. I would feel comfortable using this text as young as fifth grade and could see many assignments and projects that could stem from the use of the text. Collins has truly created a masterpiece here. The Hunger Games has quickly become one of my favorite novels of all time.

Traction Man

Title: Traction Man

Author: Mini Grey

Picture Book #4

Traction Man is a story about an action super-hero that arrives as a Christmas gift for a special little boy. With Traction Man, this little boy goes on many amazing adventures. Whether he is fighting off evil pillows, going deep sea diving while cleaning the dishes, or saving the Barbies in the garden – Traction Man is the guy to do it. After all, it’s all in a day’s work.

I was pleasantly surprised by this picture book and can’t wait to read more from this author. With this book, she effortlessly captures what is inside the mind of a child while he plays and that is truly magical. She is able to turn everyday situations into an adventure and keep the reader on the edge of their seat wondering what will happen next. I see the male students in my classroom particularly connecting to this book and enjoying the exciting atmosphere it creates. Not to mention - the illustrations in this book are wonderful! The colors literally pop off of the page and they tell a story all of their own helping the readers immerse themselves into the story headfirst. 

I would definitely recommend this book to other teachers and their students. I think it is a fun book that is sure to excite the mind of any reader. Playing is what children do best and this story captures the very essence of this statement. Traction Man is sure to be a hero in your classroom library. 

Lilly's Purple Plastic Purse

Title: Lilly’s Purple Plastic Purse

Author: Kevin Henkes

Picture Book #3

I absolutely adored Lilly’s Purple Plastic Purse by Kevin Henkes because it was a story about anger and how to properly deal with that complicated emotion. The story begins with the main character, Lilly, explaining about how much she loves school and all of the things she likes about school best. She then goes into discussing her teacher, Mr.Slinger, and how she wants to be a teacher just like him some day. As the reader of the story, I connected with Lilly greatly and reflected on my own feelings as a child when I used to want to be exactly like my teachers. They were always great role models to me and I used to take everything they said and did to heart, which is why I sympathized with Lilly when Mr.Slinger had to reprimand her one day for showing off her purple plastic purse during inappropriate times throughout the day. Out of anger Lilly draws a mean picture of Mr. Slinger and sticks it in his bag at the end of the day only to find that he has written her a nice note saying she may share her purse with the class another day. The rest of the story details how she goes about apologizing for her mistake.

I think this story would be good for young readers because it teaches them about properly reacting when they are mad. Through the story, the children learn how Lilly is sorry for actions against Mr. Slinger and how she shouldn’t have reacted so poorly and so rashly. This would be a good story to use during a unit about emotions with Kindergarten or for a circle time book with the class after an altercation between classmates, a student and the teacher, etc. Moreover, I feel like the students would connect with the main character, Lilly, because she is described as being a student like them. Having a male teacher may appeal to the boys in the room if a story about a plastic purple purse is “too girly” for them to read. 

Amanda & Her Alligator

Title: Hooray for Amanda & Her Alligator

Author: Mo Willems

Picture Book #1

Amanda & Her Alligator is much like any other Mo Willems book in that it is cute, funny, and entertaining for any young reader. The first thing I liked about this book is that it had a table of contents separated by “surprises” in six sections or chapters. I thought this was a neat way to incorporate this feature especially since it is not commonly found in picture books. The second thing I noticed right away were the illustrations. As with any Mo Willems book, they truly make the story. Simple yet powerful, they had me smiling throughout the entire story and really made me fall in love with the characters (especially that cute little alligator).

The story itself is about a young girl named Amanda who has to leave her toy alligator in order to go about her day. While she is gone, the alligator is lonely and anticipates her return greatly dreaming about what they will do together when she comes home. Towards the middle of the story, the alligator learns that he was purchased out of the sale bin for only 7 cents. This makes him feel even worse about himself, but Amanda reminds him that no one purchased him because they were destined to be best friends. By the end, alligator is joined by panda that, at first, seems like he will come between Amanda and alligator’s friendship. However, alligator learns that having another pal around while Amanda is gone isn’t so bad after all. In the classroom, this book would be a great read aloud story for carpet time with young students. It may teach them a thing or two about friendship and is sure to entertain them along the way. 

The Tale of Despereaux

Title: The Tale of Despereaux

Author: Kate DiCamillo

Illustrator: Timothy Basil Ering 

Newberry Medal Winner (2004) 

 Imagine a world of courageous mice, devious rats, outlawed soup, and a princess named Pea. These are just a few of the elements present in Kate DiCamillo's modern day fairytale thoughtfully entitled The Tale of Despereaux. The story follows the lives of the main characters Despereaux (a small but mighty mouse), Roscuro (a devious rat who yearns for the light), and Miggery Sow (a miserable servant that dreams of being a princess) and how their lives cross paths. What I liked most about this novel was that each character in the story had something unique to offer and a different perspective to consider. As the reader, I couldn’t help but empathize with all of the characters as they each had a sad (yet ultimately uplifting) story to tell. In the end, I found myself rooting for the “happily ever after” ending most fairy tales depict, and DiCamillo delivered this in her own way.

Stylistically, I don’t think the book could have been better written as a read aloud story. This would be the perfect novel to share with the classroom for several reasons. First off, DiCamillo addresses the reader (or listeners) at the end of each chapter by posing a question, adding her own thoughtful commentary, or giving a vocabulary lesson of sorts. Students could keep a log book of the vocabulary presented and/or answers to the questions posed or simply verbally respond in a classroom discussion. Overall, the way in which the book is written thoroughly engages the students and makes them a part of the story which is something I think is hard to come by. In my opinion, this book is a definite “must have” for any classroom library.

Don't Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus

Title: Don’t Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus

Author: Mo Willems
Illustrator: Mo Willems
Caldecott Honor (2004)

After only being exposed to a few of his stories, I am already a huge fan of Mo Willems and Don’t Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus is no exception. The story begins with a bus driver leaving the reader in control of his bus while he is gone. The task is simple: don’t let the pigeon drive the bus. However, this task isn’t as simple as it seems when there is a persistent pigeon badgering you at the turn of each page! Personally, I found the book to be hilarious and I think kids, especially younger ones, would too. The illustrations really make the story and add so much drama and action to the simple text. Even I found myself chuckling at some of the ridiculous faces the pigeon makes.

I would without a doubt include a copy of this book in my classroom library. It’s simple, short, easy to read, humorous, and engages the reader especially when read aloud. Though I don’t see any instructional activities that could come as a result of reading this book, I do see it as the perfect text for circle time in the primary grades. This would be an excellent book to read right when the kids get back from lunch and to settle them into an afternoon of learning as it would give them nice break from the curriculum.