Let the Book Reviews Begin
Lately I have been reading…and reading…and reading. I think you get the point. Since I am always on the search for new novels for my monthly school book club, I am quite picky when it comes to choosing “winners”. So far, I have read nothing BUT winners! I am going to quickly run down the books that I have checked off my summer reading list and give a quick opinion for which classrooms it is most suitable. I have also found a couple of fun “tech tie-ins” that have already been published to the web! Book reports/trailers created by students who are using technology…I LOVE IT!
1.) Wednesday Wars by Gary D. Schmidt
AR Level – 5.9
Points – 12
Interest Level – Middle to Upper Grades
If you have ever seen the TV show ‘Wonder Years”, that would sum up this book’s feel. A young man who is neither Jewish nor Catholic is not required to attend Wednesday afternoon’s religion class which means he is the only student staying in the classroom with his very “put-out” teacher, Mrs. Baker. After all, this would have been her planning period, but now she has to babysit a 7th grade boy. Insert her sigh here! Each Wednesday is spent reading Shakespeare and watching the odd but lovable relationship grow between teacher and student. Due to some deeper content and questionable choice of “vocabulary”, I will not be choosing this book for my 4th grade book club. However, I would recommend it for upper intermediate and junior high level classes. I laughed out loud on more than one occasion!
2.) Jeremy Fink and the Meaning of Life by Wendy Mass
AR Level – 4.5
Points – 11
Interest Level – Middle to Upper Grades
This quirky story had me hooked right from the beginning. Jeremy’s Mom receives a package in the mail that is to be given to Jeremy for his 13th birthday. Inside the package is an intricately carved wooden box that requires a series of specials keys to open it. What’s so special about this box? It was carved by Jeremy’s father and has been under the care of his lawyer since his death 5 years ago. It contains “The Meaning of Life”. Well, as you can imagine, I wanted to know what was in that box right away…kind of like Jeremy and his best friend Lizzy. There is just one problem. The lawyer has misplaced the keys and hopes “they understand”. Quite a series of events unfold while on the mission to locate these keys which kept me turning the pages. I loved this story. However, I will have to read it aloud to my class and NOT make it a book club choice for 4th graders. Why? Once again, there is some mature content when Jeremy’s best friend “becomes a woman” and has to seek advice regarding feminine products from Jeremy’s mother. There are also a couple of swear words that can easily be avoided along with the “womanhood talk” as I read aloud to my fourth graders. If your students are mature enough to handle the previously mentioned questionable content, I would make this a must-read for your students this year!
3.) The Naked Mole-Rat Letters by Mary Amato
AR Level – 4.3
Points – 6
Interest Level – Middle Grades
First off, I must clear up that the “letters” are not in fact letters, but a series of email exchanges between Frankie (actually a girl) and her widowed father’s new “possible” girlfriend, Ayanna. Dad has recently returned from a business trip in Washington D.C. where he and Ayanna met. He took one afternoon to visit the zoo during his stay, and as a result of an unexpected downpour went into the small mammal house where Ayanna takes care of the mole-rats. Ayanna helped him pick out some souvenirs to take back to his family, and Dad ended up with an unexpected and growing friendship. Frankie is not pleased…AT ALL. She finds herself making quite a few uncharacteristic decisions and getting herself into a bit of trouble. One of these poor decisions includes posing as her father in a series of email exchanges with Ayanna in hopes to sabotage the budding romance. I love this book because it fosters the discussion regarding digital footprints while online. It will also be easy for my students to connect with this small town, everyone knows everyone else’s business type of setting. I love the strong female character and how she evolves throughout this book. This definitely makes the book club list. DEFINITELY!
Stay tuned…there are more books to come…
Book Reviews reflections