James PrellerCritiques

Mystery

Mystery

Mystery

Mystery

Mystery

his is the third book I’ve read this week that had a drowning in it. This is another story where the sibling feels the drowning is his fault and where the parents deal with grief in different ways. Jude’s dad jogs to try to forget and his mom self-medicates. At the end of the school year Jude gets a job and meets Becca. She is easy to talk to and so he shares his grief with her. Then he is hit with another tragedy when he loses a close friend in a car accident. Once again this is a story about dealing with grief. So many times people shut themselves up to grief. This story is divided into two parts: Before and After. I felt like the second half was better, stronger than the first half. Would I recommend this to my students? You bet. Can they get it from my shelves? No. This is another one that had to be pulled due to district guidelines. I still recommend it.

MEH.

4 copies

I picked this book because of its cover: it was clearly trying to be Newbery material.

And the first 45% or so didn't disappoint. A little light, a little thin on the page (large fonts, wide margins and line spacing), but a fantastic set up for this coming-of-age adventure.

And then we meet the "illegal girl" and the book never seems to recover. I'll think about it some more, but I don't think it adds much to the story. (In real life, that 15-year old's pregnancy would be considered statutory rape and the situation would have necessarily taken a very different turn.)

The dad is real as is his friend. The son is a good representation of boys that age and, while the situation with the mom progresses quickly, things seem real there, too.

I think the book's narrative would have been better served with them staying out on the trail more, exploring their relationship, looking back and working on the future.

Independent Reading Level: Grades 2-5
Awards: Nominated for the Dorothy Canfield Fisher Children's Book Award

This story goes through the first day of school for a little girl. It goes through and introduces differences of each student but shows that everyone is accepted for who they are.

The Norfin Trolls have nothing to do, so they decide to throw a party . . . a costume party. Everyone helps get ready for the party; some decorate, some bake, some make invitations.

When the day of the party arrives, their guests arrive. A mermaid. A pirate. A wizard. An astronorf. A baseball player. An angel. Sherluck, the famous detective. A golfer. A leprechaun. So many great costumes.

Who will win the prize for the best costume?

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Young readers are sure to enjoy this party! Photographs of the Trolls accompany the text, bringing realism to the story. The children will have fun picking their favorite costume and guessing which Troll will win the costume prize.

Recommended.

Unless Jigsaw can decipher the puzzle in time, Geetha's painting will be lost forever!

Can Jigsaw solve the case before his family packs their bags for home?

He lost his grandfather's watch! Can he find the watch before time runs out?

When the class's Valentine candy disappears, they try to figure out who stole it.

What's hidden in the attic of the new boy in town?

Will the hunt for clues help them solve this back-to-school mystery?

When the carnival's champion jumping frog mysteriously disappears, Jigsaw and his partner Mila suspect foul play.

Jigsaw tries to prove that Joey should not be blamed for starting a food fight in the school cafeteria.

Is Jigsaw's town big enough for two detectives?

When the prize gold medal disappears, Jigsaw and his dog enter the contest so they can solve this mystery.

Is a bear on the loose in Jigsaw's town, or is someone trying to scare Ms. Gleason's class silly?

At recess time, the playground is full of young pirates and the rest of their crew. Cap’n Red and the lads keep being followed by Molly, but she and her pirate crew won’t give up or surrender. Red wants to fight Molly to keep her away from his ship, but his crew turns against their captain to avoid a fight. When he refuses to play nice, Red is marooned out to see. When the bell rings, however, Molly lets him go and they go back to school with plans to play again tomorrow.

This book shows the two children in full color and their pirate crews in sketches around them to show that they are part of the game Molly and Red play. It shows a great relationship with children and how their imagination can go to work during recess and during the day when they are studying. The book uses a lot of pirate vocabulary, but lubbers (non-sailors) can use the vocabulary homework sheet at the back of the book to find definitions of all of the pirate words. Although the illustrations and the idea is a lot of fun for pirate lovers, it’s unclear why Red doesn’t seem to want to play with her for most of the book but wants to play with her again the next day. Still, this fun book will entertain those who love pirates and the power of imagination.

This book shows how a new kid at school goes from a bystander to a victim. Students will empathize with characters in, around, or out of the bullying circle