The Toy Brother

The Toy Brother
By: William Steig

I think all of us have tried to take on more than we could handle at one point in our lives. Little Yorick Bede definitely tries to do so when he invades his fathers alchem lab. He creates a potion and drinks it. The next thing he knows, he is a little person. With his parents out of town, it is up to his little brother Charles to figure out how to change him back. He builds him a house, feeds him dinner, and tries to make his brother as comfortable as possible. Day after day passes and the two boys can't figure out how they are going to change little Yorick back. Finally his parents are home and they must fess up and tell the truth about what happened. Will father be able to change him back? Will he be in big trouble? I loved how this book took me away into another world and left me wondering what it would be like if it were me in this position. It was fun to read about something that I knew deep down was impossible. I enjoyed reading this story very much. I will be using this book in my classroom when talking to my students about fantasy books!

April and Esme: Tooth Fairies

April and Esme: Tooth Fairies
By: Bob Graham

At one point in our lives, we all probably remember our parents telling us about the tooth fairy. I remember growing up as a kid, I would get so excited to lose a tooth because I knew that I would have money soon. I always remember wishing my teeth would fall out faster so that I could buy a new barbie doll or another toy I just had to have. Bob Graham brings the story of tooth fairies alive with this incredible book. April and Esme are little fairies. I like to think of them as fairies in training. When Daniel loses his tooth, the sisters set out on an adventure to make sure they collect his tooth and give him his money right on time. Their parents are worried because they are so young. What if they get lost? What if Daniel wakes up? There is so much to worry and think about. I loved this book because I felt it was very entertaining and funny. My favorite part was when April and Esme texted their mother after waking up Daniel. It was elements like that which made the story enjoyable. I will definitely be using this book in my classroom.

Anything but Typical

Anything but Typical 
By: Nora Raleigh Baskin

Out of every book I've ever read in my entire life, this has to be one of my favorite ones. Jason is a twelve year old struggling with autism. He feels like no one understands him. He feels like the world is a messed up place full of lies and deceit. He is trying to find himself and live the most normal life that he can. He doesn't fit in at school, or anywhere really. Except online. Where he blogs and writes stories. He meets a girl named Rebecca online. In a way that Rebecca will never come to know, she changes Jason's life. She brings his closer to his mother and helps him realize that he's okay just the way he is. This story was very inspirational and amazing to read. It made me want to learn more about autism. Before this story, I knew next to nothing about the disorder. It allowed me to remember that there may be kids in my classroom that have a disorder similar to this. It made me want to respect those around me more because they may be fighting an inner battle I know nothing about. This would be a great book for children to read if they wanted to see what it might be like to be autistic.

Ruby Lu: Star of the Show

Ruby Lu: Star of the Show
By: Lenore Look
Illustrated by: Stef Choi

This book was one of the funniest books I have ever read. Thinking back to how my life was in the third grade, I'm sure it was very similar to little Ruby's. Ruby feels like she has it rough. For a third grader, she does. After her father loses his job, Ruby feels it is up to her to find a way to provide money. Her mother has to begin working full time and is constantly stressed out. To make matters worse, Ruby had to give up her dog because someone finally claimed him! She is even struggling in school and doesn't like her teacher Mr. Yu very much. With her friends on 20th Avenue South, Ruby comes up with plans to fix everything going on. Although many of them fail, she begins to realize that everything is going to be okay. Following along with her story had me in tears from laughing at her cute ideas and fun spirit. I liked this book very much. I think this would be a fun quick read for any classroom.

The Giver

The Giver
By: Lois Lowry

I was very surprised by this book. Lois Lowry has always been one of my favorite authors. I didn't enjoy this book as much as I thought I would. I found it very difficult to grasp what was going on with Jonas and his story of the "The Ceremony of Twelve." I thought the story to be kind of odd. I also found this to be hard to follow along with and I feel that it would be very confusing for children. I know that this is a series of books and that this is only the first, but I could barely follow along with the events told in the first. It made me not want to read the others in the series. I would still put this book in my library so that I would have a variety of literature. I feel that it would be a good book to give to someone who maybe has never considered this type of story. You could learn a lot about what you like and don't like in literature. It just takes the right book to make you realize this. On the other hand, I do know there are children that greatly enjoy these kinds of stories. I think this is a book that you read and either love or highly dislike. Unfortunately, it just wasn't a book for me.

The Silent Boy

The Silent Boy
By: Lois Lowry

The story of Katy Thatcher and Jacob Stoltz is a very interesting one. Jacob Stoltz is living on his family's farm. His sister Peggy works for the Thatcher family. Katy's dad is the town doctor. Everyone knows everyone in this small community. Everyone knows that Jacob Stoltz is 'touched'. He is very different. People tend to stay away from him. The more Katy begins to come around him, the more she begins to understand about life. Their type of friendship is more of a silent one. Hardly any words are needed, as Jacob has his own means of communicating. Katy beings to learn more than she ever thought possible from a boy with nothing to say. The story tends to evoke many emotions. That is what I loved about it. It was heartbreaking, funny, and a joy to follow along with. The thing I loved most was the unexpected ending. This book was worth every second of reading and I would definitely have my students read this story in hopes that they would pass it on as well.

Number the Stars

Number the Stars
By: Lois Lowry

Reading about the Holocaust has always interested me. I will never be able to understand why it happened. Reading this book changed my life. I've read it twice now, and have pulled something new from it each time. One of the best things that it did for me was make me stop and appreciate all that I have. Sometimes getting caught up in everyday things makes me fall off the track. This book allowed me to jump back on. Annemarie Johansen is only ten years old. She is growing up in Denmark. She is trying to live her life, go to school, spend time with her family, and have fun with her best friend Ellen Rosen. There is only one problem. The Nazi soldiers have completely taken over everything. It seems everywhere she turns it is getting much worse. Pretty soon Annemarie has to grow up much faster than she planned. She has to be the one to help save her best friend and many others. A lot has been put on her shoulders. Watching all that Annemarie sacrifices made me have a lot of respect for her. It also made me have respect for others like her who were willing to help the Jews during this terrible time. This book is an absolute must read!

Anne Frank: Child of the Holocaust

Anne Frank: Child of the Holocaust
By: Gene Brown

Out of all of the biographies I read, this was probably the one I didn't enjoy as much. I felt that this biography was very vague and distant from what Anne Frank was really about. Everything I have ever read about Anne Frank has been the same thing time after time. This book wasn't any different from things I had previously read. I wanted to read more about Anne Frank and the life she lived before the Holocaust. I wanted to learn something different and new. Also, the book skipped around a lot with information. One minute I was reading about her life and the next quotes from her diary were thrown in. Some of the information was also not pertinent to anything in my opinion. However, I enjoyed the many pictures in the book. They did a great job of furthering my understanding of what the situation she was in looked like through her eyes. I also liked how there was vocabulary terms at the back of the book for children to understand. I probably wouldn't use this in my classroom unless it was for leisure reading.

Helen Keller: Her Life In Pictures

Helen Keller: Her Life In Pictures
By: George Sullivan

This was probably one of my favorite biographies I've ever picked up. I am a huge Helen Keller fan because I respect her and look up to her for all that she accomplished while being blind and deaf. I always found myself wondering what she looked like. Did she look different from the rest of us? What kinds of things did she do? Not only did I get to read about her life from beginning to end, I got to see pictures that went along with it. Not illustrations of any sort, but real life pictures. There were pictures of her meeting the presidents, Mark Twain, and even with her teacher Annie. This made the story come to life. This biography also contained a lot of information about Helen Keller that I had no idea about prior to reading this book. Every question I ever had about her life was answered within the pages. The book contained quotes that Helen used throughout her life and I really liked that. It let you get a feel for her personality rather than just reading a boring series of events about her life. I think children will read this and become knowledgeable about Helen Keller. Not only that, but I feel as though they will become truly inspired. After all, Helen Keller lead one of the most inspiring lives I've ever heard about.

John Brown: His Fight For Freedom

John Brown: His Fight For Freedom
By: John Hendrix

I had only briefly touched on John Brown and who he was in history class before picking up this biography. John Brown was a remarkable white man, who believed slavery should come to an end. He even helped slaves escape through the Underground Railroad. He met with great leaders such as Harriet Tubman and Frederick Douglass. They were able to help him out as much as he could. The one thing I loved about this biography was that the illustrations were amazing. They went along with the story perfectly. Each illustration showed a facial expression on John's face that allowed me to think about what he could of been thinking during that point in time. John Brown risked his life to save the slaves and to stick up for what was right. This book allowed me to find a new respect for him and to want to read further on. I think the book had plenty of information without going overboard. It was also a fun biography to read. The author's note about John Brown definitely helped me see why this man was important. It also allowed to get inside the author's head and see why he chose to write this biography. I think this would be an excellent biography to use in your classroom when talking about times of slavery.

America's Champion Swimmer: Gertrude Ederle

America's Champion Swimmer: Gertrude Ederle 
By: David A. Alder
Illustrated by: Terry Widener

I picked this particular biography to read because I had never heard of Gertrude Ederle. I had no idea who she was or what she did that allowed her to have a biography published about her. It turns out, she was the first female to swim across the English Channel. This allowed for a better reputation for women. It also allowed others to know that anything is possible. Not only that, but Gertrude had the drive and ambition unlike anyone I've ever read about. Her story, actions, and words were very inspiring. This woman was a true athlete. She accomplished several other things in her life. It was all because of her love and true passion for swimming. This was a great biography. I especially enjoyed the note from the author at the end that gave you more background information. Since I had never heard of her, I feel like when studying biographies in my classroom someday this would be a good one to pull out and use. I think kids would enjoy this book because it's not the same old story. This is about a woman who truly was remarkable. They could learn a lot from it and also have the pleasure of hearing about the life of someone new.

Lousia: The Life of Lousia May Alcott

Lousia: The Life of Lousia May Alcott
By: Yona Zeldis McDonough
Illustrated by: Bethanne Anderson

Louisa May Alcott is one of my favorite authors. After reading her novel Little Women, I was hooked. To read a biography about her brought an answer to the many questions I had about this famous author. One thing I really enjoyed about this particular biography was that it was a full one. It contained information from the very beginning of her life until her death in 1888. The pictures brought the story to life and it was very easy to understand. Another thing I enjoyed was the section in the back entitled: The World According to Louisa May Alcott. This is where she had direct quotes on certain things in life. Also included in the book were a couple poems she wrote and a timeline. Even a recipe and interesting facts page was included. I feel that this would definitely be a biography I would be interested in using with my children. It was fun to read but also contained a great deal of information..

Hearts of Iron

Hearts of Iron
By: Kathleen Benner Duble

The year is 1820. Imagine living in an 'iron' community. Everyone in town knows your name. Everyone knows your business. Despite this you love where you live. You're only a teenager. You are trying to find yourself, do chores, work, and help out your community all at the same time. You think you've fallen in love with your best friend but you aren't sure. Life can be stressful. At least that's the way it is for Lucy Pettee. Not only does Lucy have all of the above going on, but her father has just informed her that she is to marry someone and move back to Boston where they are originally from. Lucy can't imagine leaving her best friend Jesse, her father, or the mountains. Everyone is busy preparing to work at the forge for the summer months. When Jesse's brother gets into an accident, things start to fall apart. Jesse wants to leave the mountains. Lucy wants to stay. Suddenly they become distant. Everything Lucy has every known is rearranged. Will Lucy and Jesse become more than friends? Will she marry Samuel? What is the forge? You'll have to read this inspiring story to find out.

Reading this story inspired me and actually made me feel like I was inside the story. I could relate with Lucy in several ways even though our lives are totally different. One thing I enjoyed was that this was the first time I had ever heard of an 'iron community'. Learning what life was like around this time and in these communities was very interesting to me. This is definitely a book I won't forget.

S.O.S. Titanic

S.O.S. Titanic 
By: Eve Bunting

Barry has just boarded the Titanic. Famous because she was said to be unsinkable, the Titanic leads Barry on a journey he will never forget. First he has to leave his grandparents and his home to go live with his parents. He barely knows his parents and is dreading the arrival. He has a chaperon that won't let Barry out of his sight. To top it all off, the awful Flynn family has even boarded the Titanic in search of a better life. Barry soon learns that everything is not what it seems. He begins to mature, grow up, and feel things he has never felt before. He starts to like the Flynn girl. He even begins to enjoy himself on this long journey to New York. Then disaster strikes.

From this point on, the famous story of Titanic comes about. With it comes a remarkable story of brains, hope, struggle, and survival. I really enjoyed the fact that this book was educational and fun to read. We have all heard what happened on the ship the night she sank. To have it put in story form was an excellent way of capturing the attention of a reader. I feel that this would be a great book to use in the classroom and can think of several activities that could be used to go along with it.