Chapter Book 6

Title: Pet Trouble, Runaway Retriever

Author: T.T. Sutherland

Genre: Realistic Fiction, Series

Subgenre: Chapter Book

Themes: Pets, Manners, Friendship

Primary Characters: Parker and Merlin

Date of publication: 2009

Publishing Company: Scholastic

Summary: Parker, who is in fifth grade hadn't considered getting a dog, but when playful Merlin, a golden retriever, comes into his life, Parker is thrilled.  The two are inseparable from day one — because whenever Parker tries to leave, Merlin escapes his fence or cage and follows him!

In the classroom: Children LOVE animals; most children, most animals. After reading this book, the readers will want to take home Merlin. He gets into a lot of mischief but it’s only because he loves Parker so much!

Chapter Book 5

Title: Walk Two Moons

Author: Sharon Creech

Genre: Realistic Fiction

Subgenre: Chapter Book

Themes: Coping, Extended family

Primary Characters: Salamanca Tree Hiddle

Date of publication: 1996, Newbery Medal

Publishing Company: HarperCollins

Summary: Salamanca's mother has left without explanation and not returned. She is traveling across the country with her grandparents following the route her mother took. Along the way her kind and fun-loving grandparents ask her to tell them a story. Sal shares a long tale about herself and her best friend, Phoebe, whose mother has also left her family. Throughout the book the cross-country trip and the story Sal tells are interwoven. The book brings to life just how much she is struggling.  

I would use this book in my classroom in a couple different ways. It could relate to different students depending on their situation. If this has happened to a student, they will know that heartbreak and be able to relate to Sal. If not, (which hopefully most of them won’t) this book would show the readers to show empathy for others and not judge who they are because we do not know what they have gone through in their past.  

Chapter Book 4

Title: Polar Bears Past Bedtime

Author: Mary Pope Osbourne

Illustrator: Salvatore Murdocca

Genre: Chapter Book, Series

Subgenre: Fantasy

Theme: Arctic Animals, Teamwork, Imagination

Primary Characters: Jack and Annie

Date of publication: 1998

Publishing Company: Random House

Summary: The Magic Tree House transports Jack and Annie to the freezing Arctic. Upon arrival, they must solve the final riddle to become master librarians. They face obstacles along the way such as cracking ice, a seal hunter, and a prodigious polar bear to deal with!

I would use this book in my classroom to embrace creativity and imagination. Reading this book would lead to many interesting discussions about where my students would go if they had these types of endless adventures.

Chapter Book 3

Title: The Watsons Go to Birmingham- 1963

Author: Christopher Paul Curtis

Genre: Historical Fiction

Subgenre: Juvenile Fiction

Theme: Civil Rights Movement, Family
Primary Characters: Kenny, Byron 

Date of publication: 1995; Newberry Honor and Coretta Scott King Award

Publishing Company: Yearling

Summary: The Watsons go to Birmingham is about a family, the Watsons, who live in Flint Michigan during the time of the Civil Rights Movement. The main character is Kenny; he is the middle child. Kenny has an older brother named Byron, who is nothing but trouble and a younger sister named Joetta. Byron’s bad behavior throughout the book leads his parents to decide the best place for him would be to live with his grandmother in Birmingham for the summer. While the family is down south, the family almost suffers a terrible loss during the 16^th Street Baptist Church bombing.

This book is important for students to read that are in middle school or have the maturity to handle a situation like this. Kenny’s perspective adds humor to the book and gives a light hearted feeling but it still is deeply emotional when it involves the church bombing. I would read this book more than once. It is the type of book that you may be able to get more out of it, the more times you read it.  

Chapter Book 2

Title: Don’t Call me Beanhead!

Author: Susan Wojciechowski

Illustrator: Susanna Natti

Genre: Children’s Book

Subgenre: Chapter Book

Theme: Friendship, Family
Primary Character: Beany

Date of publication: 1996

Publishing Company: Candlewick

Summary: Bernice Lorraine Sherwin-Hendricks, also known as Beany, is a girl with twenty-three freckles, a bossy best friend, and a tendency to worry over just about everything! The book has the title Don’t Call me Beanhead because that’s what her older brother calls her and she hates it. This book captures the real concerns that kids may have during their childhood. For an example, Beany loses her tooth down the drain and she is deeply concerned that the tooth fairy won’t put money under her pillow if the tooth is not found.

The questions revealed throughout the story are relatable to kids and this is a book I think they would highly enjoy. I would use this in my classroom as a fun book to read a short portion of the day. I would probably read a chapter after lunch to get them to settle down in the classroom and keep them engaged with a chapter book they find entertaining. 

Picture Book 18

Title: Ladder to the Moon

Author: Maya Soetoro-Ng

Illustrator: Yuyi Morales

Genre: Juvenile Fiction

Subgenre: Illustrated book

Theme: Family, Tragedy
Primary & Secondary Characters: Suhaila and her grandmother

Date of publication: 2011

Publishing Company: Candlewick Press

Summary: The book is about a girl named Suhaila whose inquisitive nature leaves her asking questions of her grandmother and what she was like. The resemblance in Suhaila’s hand to her grandmother’s hands represents the passion to help others and the empathy she has for others as well. Suhaila gets her wish when a golden ladder appears at her window, and Grandma Annie invites her to come along with her on a magical journey to the moon.

I would use this book in the classroom as a way to talk about losing loved ones. At some point, students will experience losing a grandparent or someone close to them. This book reminds us that lost loved ones are always with us and sometimes if we look up at the moon; it may help us remember them. 

Picture Book 17

Title: Goal!

Author: Mina Javaherbin

Illustrator: A. G. Ford

Genre: Realistic Fiction

Subgenre: Juvenile Fiction

Theme: Social Issues, Bullying
Characters: Group of friends, group of bullies

Date of publication: 2010

Publishing Company: Candlewick Press

Summary: This is powerful book that portrays the struggles that children in Africa face. I think many American children take a lot for granted and this book shines light on how things are in other places. In South Africa, a group of friends is united by their strength and love of soccer (football). They play in a dangerous alley, where there is enough room and they are confronted by bullies. They have been confronted before and this time they were prepared to lead them in another direction so they could still play the sport that they love.  

In the classroom, it’s important to show diversity in the places that people live. We are very fortunate in America and I think it is important to remind our students of how great we have things. The illustrations in this book alone, could tell the story; absolutely beautiful. 

Picture Book 16

Title: My Father is Taller than a Tree

Author: Joseph Bruchac

Illustrator: Wendy Anderson Halperin

Genre: Children’s Picture Book

Subgenre: Poetry

Theme: Father-Son relationship

Date of publication: 2010

Publishing Company: Penguin Group

Summary: This book beautifully portrays the relationship between a father and child. The book has a picture that matches everything the father and son are doing together. As they are playing, working in the yard, riding bikes and reading before bedtime, they are bonding and enjoying spending time together.

In the classroom, it’s important to show diversity and this book does that by using the different names for fathers that are used in different cultures such as ‘pop’, ‘mi papa’ and ‘pa’.