Mrs. D’s Reads

Kringle
Grades 5-8
Tony Abbot
Ok, I haven’t actually read this one yet because it just came out, but the reviews are great and it sounds like a winner. One friend who has a preview copy said she loves it, and I get my copy this week. If it turns out to be bad, I will update this post.

Bear Stays Up For Christmas
Grades K-2
Karma Wilson
Kids love this patterned series, and the counterintuitive idea that someone would have trouble staying awake (instead of trouble going to sleep) around this time of year is fun.

If You Take a Mouse to the Movies
Grades K-2
Laura Numeroff Kids love this series of books as well, and I like all the holiday traditions this one pulls in.

A Newberry Christmas
Grades 3-7
Editor: Martin H. Greenburg This anthology of Newberry writers has some nice short and some longer pieces on a variety of holiday ideas that might be a little more thoughtful for intermediate grades.

The Amazing Christmas Extravaganza
Grades 2-6
David Shannon
I am a fan of Shannon’s illustrations, and this is a story where the writing holds up as well. The whole idea that “bigger and brighter and more” is also better is challenged in this fun story.

Diary of a Wombat
Grades K-2 (but also fun for older readers)
Jackie French

I know the better-known Diary of a Worm got a lot of kudos, but this one came out the same year and I love its dry humor and wonderful understanding of the Wombat’s point of view. The illustrations are awfully appealing as well.

The Three Questions
Grades 4 and up
Jon J.Muth

This is one of those books that could be read and enjoyed by younger kids, and by older students and adults. It is based on Tolstoy’s short story, but the kinder, gentler version, with beautiful watercolor illustrations, make it accessible to a wider audience. A great jumping point for a lot of different discussions at many different levels.

Heartbeat
Grades 4-7
Sharon Creech

Creech is really so good at telling a good story in a memorable way. This short tale, written in a series of narrative prose poems, is rich with wonderful characters and ideas. A great read aloud, or a wonderful way for kids to look at the ways they can use language and still get their message across.

And a movie….

I don’t think I will usually use this blog to talk about movies, but my family and I really enjoyed the documentary Mad Hot Ballroom. It’s about fifth graders in NYC who take ballroom dancing lessons at their schools and then compete in a city wide competition. An inspiring, fun movie that my daughter liked as much as my husband and I.

On a personal note, here are some things I have been reading for me (books for grown-ups)

Devil’s Teeth
Susan Casey
A compelling non-fiction book about the great white sharks that frequent the Farallones Islands near San Francisco. Absolutely fascinating to me.

The Last Duel
Eric Jager
My dad loaned me this wonderful historical account of the last officially sanctioned duel fought in the city of Paris in the late middle ages. I love this period in history, and learned quite a lot about the legal system as well as the social structures that it held in place.

The Penelopiad
Margaret Atwood

I am an Atwood fan, and this slim volume was a great read. She takes the story of the Odyssey, and instead of telling about the heroes of Troy, tells about Penelope, Odysseus’ wife who stayed at home for those many years, and how it felt to have this absent husband return and take over again.

Lionboy
Grades 4-8
by Zizou Corder

This is a really fun story set in a world that is familiarly ours, but slightly more sinsister and maybe a little in the future. The situation and characters are unique, the lions are unforgettable, as are the villains, and the action keeps you interested all the way through. The writing style is unusual, possibly because the book was the joint effort of a mother-daughter team. There is a cliffhanger ending, but the good news is that all three books in the trilogy are out now, so you won’t have to wait.

Tsubu, the Little Snail
Grades K-4
by Carol Ann Williams

This beautifully illustrated traditional Japanese tale is a sort of beauty and the beast meets Thumbelina. It speaks to the power of unconditional love, and the danger of letting appearances guide our decisions.

I Like Myself
Grades K-2
Karen Beaumont

This is a jubilant book about not letting a what some people might see as flaws get in the way of loving yourself. Great rhyming text, and I am a big fan of David Catrow’s illustrations (Have you seen Stand Tall Molly Lou Melon?)

Here are some of the books I had already suggested this year. I am including them here so that they will be available to students as well as staff.

Happy Reading!

Kira-Kira (Newbery Medal Book)
Grades 5-8
by Cynthia Kadohata

I read this book on my own and then read it with my fifth grade daughter. It is a quiet, beautiful book about a family, an illness, and a time in our history when we didn’t know what to do with people who didn’t fit our idea of Americans. My friend Thom called it a “watercolor painting of a book,” and I cannot think of a better description.

Esperanza Rising
Grades 5-8
by Pam Munoz Ryan

I was very inspired by this depiction of Mexican immigrants during the depression. The story of Esperanza and her family reminds us that, even today, we make too many assumptions about the lives and educations of the immigrant families who are part of our communities. Esperanza is a strong young woman who’s story is both unique and universal.

Harry Sue
Grades 4-8
by Sue Stauffacher

I have to thank Thom for giving me this book. It is unlike anything I have ever read. The language is brilliant (thank goodness for the glossary of prison terms) and the characters of both Harry Sue and her best friend are unforgettable. It’s like an edgy version of all those spunky but troubled orphan with a heart of gold stories.

A Corner Of The Universe
Grades 5-8
by Ann Martin

I liked this book for it’s thoughtful but realistic depiction of mental illness. Hattie, the young girl in the story, and the way she deals with her mentally ill uncle, is a great contrast to how the adults in the story deal with him. I like that Martin doesn’t shy away from the truly painful aspects of a situation like this.

Cryptid Hunters
Grades 5-8
by Roland Smith

Smith came to town this fall, so I included some of his books in one week’s recommends. This was a fun tale of adventure with some great scientific/biological/environmental info thrown in. Good villains, good chase scenes, and some unexpected twists.

The Sea of Trolls
Grades 5-10
by Nancy Farmer

I am a big history buff, particularly British History, so this novel really appealed to me. It is part historical fiction, part fantasy, part coming of age novel. Set in Anglo-Saxon England, Viking Scandinavia, and in the mythical land of the Trolls, this is a great adventure story for people who like smart books.

The Ravenmaster’s secret: Escape from the Tower of London
Grades 5-8
Elvira Woodruff

Another Historical Fiction novel about some kids, a revolution, and the Tower of London. Great read for kids who like history and adventure.

The Butterfly
Grades 1-5
Patricia Polacco

This is another example of Polacco drawing on her rich family history to write a compelling story. It is a Nazi/Holocaust story that is real, but not so graphic that you can’t share it with younger students.

Sea Otter Rescue
Grades 5-7
by Roland Smith

This is one of Smith’s non-fiction accounts of his work with animals as a field biologist. He worked with the otter populations after the Exxon Valdez oil spill and this book tells the story of the victories and failures of that restoration project.

The Journey of Red Wolf
Grades 4-8
by Roland Smith

Smith was also involved in the recovery of the Red Wolf in the Southern United States. This compelling book tells the story of that amazing last ditch effort to save a species.

Greece! Rome! Monsters
Grades 3-7
by John Harris

I am a poetry fan, and this is a fun smart poetry book for kids who know something about history and mythology. Great illustrations by Caleb Brown.

Ma Dear’s Aprons
Grades 1-4
by Patricia C. McKissack

This book provides a great model for first person narrative writing. Each page is a different memory centered around the different aprons worn for each day’s work. The voice of the little boy is moving and sincere.

Wilma Unlimited: How Wilma Rudolph Became the World’s Fastest Woman
Grades K-5
by Kathleen Krull

I love a good picture book biography, and this is one of the best. Wilma Rudolph’s story fascinates me (and kids too!) and this book does a great job of retelling it.

Ruby the Copycat
Grades K-2
by Peggy Rathmann

This is like the “Single White Female” of the primary set. I love that the girl wants to be liked so much that she tries to become the other girl, and that her teacher gently guides her back to being who she really is.

By the Light of the Halloween Moon
Grades K-3
by Caroline Stutson,

Great pattern book in the mold of “I know an old lady…”. I love that all these Halloween creatures are trying to eat the girl’s toe, and I love that she stands up for herself at the end, breaking the pattern. Kevin Hawkes illustrates. I am a fan of his.

Just a Minute: A Trickster Tale and Counting Book
Grades K-2
by Yuyi Morales

This fun folktale incorporates counting, Day of the Dead, and a traditional Trickster tale.

Hooway for Wodney Wat
Grades K-2
by Helen Lester

You have to love a book that has a Capybara as a bully (the world’s largest rodent, you know). Rodney Rat is a wonderful, unexpected hero. Great illustrations

My Little Sister Hugged an Ape
Grades K-3
by Bill Grossman

I don’t love this ABC book as much as I did “My Little Sister Ate One Hare,” but it is still a great, unusual, and irreverent twist on the traditional ABC book.

Actual Size
Grades K-5
by Steve Jenkins

This follow-up to “What do you do with a Tail Like This?” blew me away with the contrasts and reality check it provides (just check out the sizes of the Gorilla Hand and the Giant Squid eye if you don’t believe me). The paper cut illustrations are unique and effective.

Dem Bones
Grades 1-4
by Bob Barner

The traditional rhyme with some great skeletal facts thrown in. Enough to keep lots of ages interested.

Mammalabilia
Grades K-5
by Douglas Florian

Florian’s “Insectlopedia” is another favorite of mine. Short little poems that make you go “hmmmmm….”

Ok. This is a new thing for me, but I really love books, so if this makes it easier to share those good books with my students and with other educators, then I’m in.

And please don’t ask me about favorites, because having a favorite book is an impossibility for me. Each one is good, or horrible, in its own way, and there are just way too many to pick just a few. I might say “this is one of my top ten”, but reality is, there are probably 100 books that I’ve said that about, and though I really mean it when I say it, maybe you can’t believe a thing I say.

Anyway, I hope you enjoy this. I am going to post this last week’s recommends, and then post the ones I have done from the the beginning of the year. after that. Sometimes I’ll include reviews with them for extra information.

Read on!

Enemy Pie (Reading Rainbow book)
Grades K-3
by Derek Munson

This is a great book about friendships and making assumptions about people. A kid decides he hates the new kid next door, so his dad teaches him the recipe for “enemy pie”, which is guaranteed to get rid of your enemies if you spend a whole day with the enemy before he eats it.

Al Capone Does My Shirts (Newbery Honor Book)
Grades 5-8
by Gennifer Choldenko

The opening lines of this novel, which is set in San Francisco in 1935) got me. The 12 year-old narrator is funny and smart and he is dealing really well with some really tough stuff. His older sister is autistic (before we knew what autistic was), he has just moved to a new town, and he lives on the island of Alcatraz (his dad is a guard there). A fascinating piece of history combined with a really good story about a family and their struggles.

Zathura
grades K-5
by Chris Van Allsburg

This sequel to “Jumanji” comes out as a movie this month, but the book is a great story of adventure and sibling rivalry as the game, Zathura, sends two brothers into challenges that change time, space, and all the other constructs of their universe. It will be interesting to see what filmmakers do with this story.