Recommendations from Kids

I was talking books with some fifth grade boys yesterday.

They recommended The Red Pyramid by Rick Riordan and the Percy Jackson series by Rick Riordan (which they considered worth rereading). There also was a VERY ENTHUSIASTIC recommendation for Jake Ransom and the Skull King's Shadow by James Rollins.

Just thought I'd share!

Books That Heal Kids

I just learned about a new blog that talks about books that can help children deal with difficult situations.

Here's the blog:

Books That Heal Kids

http://booksthathealkids.blogspot.com/

Best 100 Children's Novels

I thought y'all might be interested in Betsy Bird's list of Top 100 Children's Novels. You can find out her methodology by checking the Fuse #8 blog. And you too can predict which novel (that has not yet been listed) will be number one! I'm leaning toward Wrinkle in Time or Charlotte's Web.

Janet

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Betsy Bird’s Top 100 Children’s Novels


100. The Egypt Game by Snyder

99. The Indian in the Cupboard by Banks

98. Children of Green Knowe by Boston

97. The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane by DiCamillo

96. The Witches by Dahl

95. Pippi Longstocking by Lindgren

94. Swallows and Amazons by Ransome

93. Caddie Woodlawn by Brink

92. Ella Enchanted by Levine

91. Sideways Stories from Wayside School by Sachar

90. Sarah, Plain and Tall by MacLachlan

89. Ramona and Her Father by Cleary

88. The High King by Alexander

87. The View from Saturday by Konigsburg

86. Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets by Rowling

85. On the Banks of Plum Creek by Wilder

84. The Little White Horse by Goudge

83. The Thief by Turner

82. The Book of Three by Alexander

81. Where the Mountain Meets the Moon by Lin

80. The Graveyard Book by Gaiman

79. All of a Kind Family by Taylor

78. Johnny Tremain by Forbes

77. The City of Ember by DuPrau

76. Out of the Dust by Hesse

75. Love That Dog by Creech

74. The Borrowers by Norton

73. My Side of the Mountain by George

72. My Father’s Dragon by Gannett

71. An Unfortunate Series of Events: The Bad Beginning by Snicket

70. Betsy-Tacy by Lovelace

69. The Mysterious Benedict Society by Stewart

68. Walk Two Moons by Creech

67. Jeremy Thatcher, Dragon Hatcher by Colville

66. Henry Huggins by Cleary

65. Ballet Shoes by Streatfeild

64. A Long Way from Chicago by Peck

63. Gone-Away Lake by Enright

62. The Secret of the Old Clock by Keene

61. Stargirl by Spinelli

60. The True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle by Avi

59. Inkheart by Funke

58. The Wolves of Willoughby Chase by Aiken

57. Ramona Quimby, Age 8 by Cleary

56. Number the Stars by Lowry

55. The Great Gilly Hopkins by Paterson

54. The BFG by Dahl

53. The Wind in the Willows by Grahame

52. The Invention of Hugo Cabret by Selznick

51. The Saturdays by Enright

#50 Island of the Blue Dolphins by Scott O'Dell (1960)

#49 Frindle by Andrew Clements (1996)

#48 The Penderwicks: A Summer Tale of Four Sisters, Two Rabbits and a Very Interesting Boy by Jeanne Birdsall (2005)

#47 Bud, Not Buddy by Christopher Paul Curtis (1999)

#46 Where the Red Fern Grows by Wilson Rawls (1961)

#45 The Golden Compass by Philip Pullman (1995)

#44 Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing by Judy Blume (1972)

#43 Ramona the Pest by Beverly Cleary (1968)

#42 Little House on the Prairie by Laura Ingalls Wilder (1935)

#41 The Witch of Blackbird Pond by Elizabeth George Speare (1958)

#40 The Wonderful Wizard of Oz by L. Frank Baum (1900)

#39 When You Reach Me by Rebecca Stead (2009)

#38 Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix by J.K. Rowling (2003)

#37 Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry by Mildred Taylor (1976)

#36 Are You There, God? It's Me, Margaret by Judy Blume (1970)

#35 Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire by J.K. Rowling (2000)

#34 The Watsons Go to Birmingham, 1963 by Christopher Paul Curtis (1995)

#33 James and the Giant Peach by Roald Dahl (1961)

#32 Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH by Robert C. O'Brien (1971)

#31 Half Magic by Edward Eager (1954)

#30 Winnie-the Pooh by A.A. Milne (1926)

#29 The Dark Is Rising by Susan Cooper (1973)

#28 A Little Princess by Francis Hodgson Burnett (1905)

#27 Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland (1865)/Alice Through the Looking Glass (1872) by Lewis Carroll

#26 Hatchet by Gary Paulsen (1989)

#25 Little Women by Louisa May Alcott (1868 & 1869)

#24 Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows by J.K. Rowling (2007)

#23 Little House in the Big Woods by Laura Ingalls Wilder (1932)

#22 The Tale of Despereaux: Being the Story of a Mouse, a Princess, Some Soup, and a Spool of Thread by Kate DiCamillo (2003)

#21 Percy Jackson and the Olympians: The Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan (2005)

#20 Tuck Everlasting by Natalie Babbitt (1975)

#19 Charlie and the Chocolate Factory by Roald Dahl (1964)

#18 Matilda by Roald Dahl (1988)

#17 Maniac Magee by Jerry Spinelli (1990)

#16 Harriet the Spy by Louise Fitzhugh (1964)

#15 Because of Winn-Dixie by Kate DiCamillo (2000)

#14 Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban by J.K. Rowling (1999)

#13 Bridge to Terabithia by Katherine Paterson (1977)

#12 The Hobbit, or There and Back Again by J.R.R. Tolkien (1938)

#11 The Westing Game by Ellen Raskin (1978)

#10 The Phantom Tollbooth by Norton Juster (1961)

#9 Anne of Green Gables by L.M. Montgomery (1908)

#8 The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett (1911)

#7 The Giver by Lois Lowry (1993)

#6 Holes by Louis Sachar (1998)

#5 From the Mixed Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler by E. L. Konigsburg (1967)

#4 The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis (1950)

#3 Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone by J.K. Rowling (1997)

#2 A Wrinkle in Time by Madeline L'Engle (1962)




It looks like Charlotte's Web is number 1!

The "To Read" Pile

In addition to books that others have liked, my pile includes:

The Totally Made-up Civil War Diary of Amanda MacLeish by Claudia Mills
How Oliver Olson Changed the World by Claudia Mills
The Unfinished Angel by Sharon Creech


I also really really want to read Clover Twig and the Magical Cottage by Kaye Umansky, but it is 297 pages so won't work out for Joliet Reads. deep sigh.

What else we've read lately

Here are some other books that committee members have read recently:

Brendan Buckley's Universe and Everything in It by Sundee Tucker Frazier
Flawed Dogs: The Shocking Raid on Westminster by Berkely Breathed
We Are the Ship: The Story of Negro League Baseball by Kadir Nelson
Alvin Ho: Allergic to Camping, Hiking and Other Natural Disasters by Lenore Look
When You Reach Me by Rebecca Stead
Wishworks, Inc. by Stephanie Tolan


Joy thought these books looked interesting:

Snoring Beauty by Bruce Hale
Nothing but Trouble: The Story of Althea Gibson by Sue Stauffacher


Committee members began these books but decided they wouldn't work out:

Nurk: The Strange, Surprising Adventures of a (Somewhat) Brave Shrew by Ursula Vernon
Feathers by Jacqueline Woodson
Wicked Will: A Mystery of Young William Shakespeare by Bailey MacDonald
The Georges and the Jewels by Jane Smiley

My choice for the Caldecott Award

Without question, my favorite picture book of the year. The illustrations are amazing and completely integrated with the minimal text. I will be very upset if it doesn't win the award. VERY UPSET! Not to mention surly. It would be best to avoid me for a day or so if a different book wins the award.

Odd and the Frost Giants

I read Odd and the Frost Giants yesterday.

Loved it! I think most kids in grades 4 and 5 would really enjoy it as a read aloud. My daughter is a sensitive reader/listener/viewer so probably would not like it, but most other kids would.

Hmmmmmm. I think I'll try to get my daughter to read a bit then have one of our book discussions. More later!

Tentative Choices for Third Graders

The group has tentatively selected these books:

Miss Smith and the Haunted Library by Michael Garland
Gooney Bird Is So Absurd by Lois Lowry
Lousy Rotten Stinkin' Grapes by Margie Palatini
Redwood by Jason Chin OR Tarra and Bella by Carol Buckley
Nathaniel Fludd, Beastologist: Flight of the Phoenix by R.L. LaFevers

The committee still needs to select four books.

Here are former nominees that I still especially like:

Spot the Plot by J. Patrick Lewis
Velma Gratch and the Way Cool Butterfly by Alan Madison
Book Fiesta! by Pat Mora
Sir Lancelot the Great by Gerald Morris
Listen to the Wind by Greg Mortenson et al.
The Lion & the Mouse by Jerry Pinkney
My Dog Is as Smelly as Dirty Socks by Hanoch Piven

Oops! It looks like I just listed all of them! :)

Tentative Selections for Grades 1 & 2

Our tentative choices for Grades 1-2 are:

Peace Week in Miss Fox's Class by Eileen Spinelli
Miss Smith and the Haunted Library by Michael Garland
The Pigeon Wants a Puppy by Mo Willems
The Lion & the Mouse by Jerry Pinkney
Not Last Night, But the Night Before by Colin McNaughton
Round Like a Ball by Lisa Campbell Ernst
Velma Gratch and the Way Cool Butterfly by Alan Madison

We still need to select two more books.

Previous books being considered (that I still like) include:

Recess at 20 Below by Cindy Lou Aillaud
The Mighty Fine Time Machine by Suzanne Bloom
Tarra and Bella by Carol Buckley
Dogku by Andrew Clements
Spot the Plot by J. Patrick Lewis
Book Fiesta! by Pat Mora

Tentative Selections for Pre-K and Kdg

At this point, it appears that next year's books for Pre-K and Kindergarten are:

Peace Week in Miss Fox's Class by Eileen Spinelli
I'm a Turkey by Jim Arnosky
The Pigeon Wants a Puppy by Mo Willems
Stretch by Doreen Cronin
Gobble It Up by Jim Arnosky
Birds by Kevin Henkes
Round Like a Ball by Lisa Campbell Ernst
Up Down and Around by Katherine Ayres

The committee still needs to select one more book. I dearly love Rhyming Dust Bunnies (hint hint hint).


Our "B" List selections include:

Dog and Bear: Two Friends, Three Stories by Laura Vaccaro Seeger
Rhyming Dust Bunnies by Jan Thomas
Ned's New Home by Kevin Tseng

Tentative Selections for Grades 4 & 5

As previously stated, our committee was considering these choices for fourth and fifth grades:

Extra Credit by Andrew Clements
Igraine the Brave by Cornelia Funke
Odd and the Frost Giants by Neil Gaiman
Flight of the Phoenix (Beastologist, Book 1) by R.L. LaFevers

The Maze of Bones (39 Clues, Book 1) by Rick Riordan
A Crooked Kind of Perfect by Linda Urban

The Magician's Elephant by Kate DiCamillo
Return of the Homework Machine by Dan Gutman
Zoobreak by Gordon Korman


So far, we have selected Extra Credit, Igraine the Brave, Odd and the Frost Giants and The White Giraffe for this age group. We still need four more books.

I'm rooting for A Crooked Kind of Perfect. (Yea Rah Boooooook!) I also think the students would enjoy The Maze of Bones, which is a fun read.

We're going to use Flight of the Phoenix for third graders. (But ooooooooh. Could it work for this age group? My fourth grader liked it....)

Flight of the Phoenix

I read Nathaniel Fludd, Beastologist: Flight of the Phoenix by R.L. LaFevers a month or two ago. What a fun book!

We've all read books where a recently orphaned child suddenly has to deal with new situations and obstacles, usually without adult guidance. But don't be too quick to think "oh how cliched." This book has some interesting twists - like the newly discovered aunt (great-aunt?) who is a beastologist, her talking pet dodo and the adventure upon which they embark almost immediately. The pair needs to go help a phoenix rise from the ashes just after it dies. Yes, a phoenix. As I said (or meant to say), this is not the typical adventure of a newly (possibly) orphaned child.

The book has enough "meat" to it to appeal to fourth and fifth graders, but is only 137 pages. What a deal, what a deal!!!

A Crooked Kind of Perfect

The child and I read A Crooked Kind of Perfect by Linda Urban last summer.

We loved it so much that we wrote the author a fan letter! (And she wrote back and sent the child an autographed bookplate. Oh the joy!!!)

I suggested it to the Joliet Reads committee. So far, the other committee members have enjoyed it too. First of all, it's funny. It also has realistic characters and situations. And it's funny. The protagonist is a girl, but both her father and a male friend are major characters, so it would appeal to both genders. And it's funny!

Gooney Bird Is So Absurd

The child and I read Gooney Bird Is So Absurd by Lois Lowry earlier this week.

We just love Gooney Bird Greene! The child enjoys the books because they're funny and she likes finding out more about the well-developed characters she has gotten to know.

I also enjoy the books for those reasons, but appreciate that the books teach children how to tell a story (or write a poem, in this case) without the children catching on that they're learning something. They are kind of like a writers workshop in a book. This is the type of sneaky and devious educational method that I can appreciate! The books also encourage creativity and individuality. And the wearing of panties on one's head to assist with creativity, but we won't be trying that at my house.

A great choice for Joliet Reads!

The Magician's Elephant

I tried to read The Magician's Elephant by Kate DiCamillo.

I really tried.

I wanted to read it at bedtime with my child, but she wasn't interested.

I tried to read it on my own, but I couldn't force myself to finish the book. I don't see kids enjoying the magical realism, and, more importantly, it just didn't grab me.

I might read it if it wins the Newbery. Or if everyone else on the committee thinks it would be an excellent choice for Joliet Reads. Or if I find myself snowed in without other means of entertainment. That would be if I'm snowed in for weeks.

Excellent new nonfiction

I am not sure that this book would work out for Joliet Reads, but it's definitely going on my list of favorite books of 2009!

Bad News for Outlaws: The Remarkable Life of Bass Reeves, Deputy U.S. Marshal by Vaunda Micheaux Nelson tells about the fascinating life of former slave Bass Reeves.

Who was Bass Reeves, you ask? He served as deputy U.S. marshal in Indian Territory for 32 years, which was longer than any other marshal. He arrested more than 3,000 men and women, without ever being wounded, and only had to kill fourteen men in the line of duty. The author was not exaggerating when she described his life as remarkable!