High adventure in Paris

Levin, Mark (2011). The Family Hitchcock (Gr. 4-6)

Maddy Hitchcock wants nothing more than a summer of pool-side tanning.  Her father, however, insists that the entire family join their annual vacation.  This year, they’re swapping houses with a family Paris–and what could possibly go wrong?

Everything, naturally.  Spies, international agents, top-secret science, and the opera all figure into this action-packed adventure.

100 Best Books for Children

Scholastic Parent & Child has named its 100 best books for children.  How many have you read?  What would you add (or remove) from this list?

Harris Burdick … the mysteries continue

More than 25 years ago, Chris Van Allsburg wrote a book that captured imaginations and got kids writing stories.

Van Allsburg, Chris (1984). The Mysteries of Harris Burdick (Ages 5+).

Mr. Harris Burdick brought 14 pictures (complete with titles and captions) to a publisher, promising to bring the accompanying stories and some more pictures the next day.  He never returned.  Chris Van Allsburg, a friend of the publisher, saw the pictures and decided to put them all together in a book.  (That’s the story, at least, and Chris is sticking to it.)  This book has inspired creative writing assignments ever since.

It’s not only children who have found the pictures irresistible fodder for new stories.  Famous authors also think the pictures are intriguing.

Van Allsburg, Chris (2011). The Chronicles of Harris Burdick (Gr. 4-8).

That’s where this book comes in.  Take the 14 pictures from Mysteries, then add short stories from 14 well-known authors.  The stories are sometimes eerie, sometimes funny, and always just as mysterious as the original pictures.  Of course, no one knows what the real stories were, and even famous authors can only take their best guesses.  Would your stories turn out the same way?

The authors included in this compilation:
Lemony Snicket
Tabitha King
Jon Scieszka
Sherman Alexie
Gregory Maguire
Cory Doctorow
Jules Feiffer
Linda Sue Park
Walter Dean Myers
Lois Lowry
Kate DiCamillo
M. T. Anderson
Louis Sachar
Chris Van Allsburg
Stephen King

Wildlife, Typography, and Numbers, oh my!

I love books that make me see new things in the world.  I also love the art of letters, numbers, and the way they look.  Naturally, I also love these two books:

Werner, Sharon (2009). Alphabeasties and Other Amazing Types (Gr. 4-6)

An A can be tall or short, thick or thin, slanted or vertical.  That A can have a lot of personality!  This book makes animals out of letters: an alligator is made from round and nubbly lowercase a’s along with some sharp and pointy uppercase A’s (teeth! eek!).  The design of each animal is fascinating, and there are plenty of factoids at the bottom of each page.

Werner, Sharon (2011).  Bugs by the Numbers.  (Gr. 4-6)

As if animals and letters weren’t enough, there are also bugs and numbers!  That praying mantis on the cover really is made of numbers!  The numbers give interesting facts about the insects, too.  A page-spread about butterflies has eggs made from 1’s, a caterpillar made from 2’s, a chrysalis made from 3’s, and a full butterfly made from 4’s.  Four life stages, clearly numbered.  Other insects are made from numbers that highlight a fun fact: fleas can jump 150 times their own height.  Those fleas are made from (you guessed it!) 150’s.

We go together …

Sometimes, things go better together.  Cake is nice, but it tastes even lovelier with a glass of cold milk.  Hot dogs are delicious, but ketchup makes then phenomenal.  Games are fun, but they’re a blast when you’re playing with your best friend.  Books can be like that, too.

Start here, with the fighting legend, Joe Louis:
A Nation’s Hope: the Story of Boxing Legend Joe Louis (Matt de la Pena, 2011.)

 

 

 

 

Then, go here:

Bird in a Box (Andrea Davis Pinkney, 2011).

There’s boxing, an orphanage, kids with big dreams, and (who else?) Joe Louis.

 

 

 

 

Cake and milk … hot dogs and ketchup … games and friends … and these two books.  Have fun!

He liiiiiiiives!

McElligot, Matthew (2010).  Benjamin Franklinstein Lives!  (Gr. 4-6)

It’s not every day that one finds a secret laboratory in one’s basement, but that’s exactly what young Victor Godwin, a Philadelphia science-whiz, discovers behind a bookcase.  What’s inside?  Benjamin Franklin, who has been sleeping in a state of electrical hibernation for the past two centuries and waiting for a secret society to reanimate him in a time of emergency.  Now awake, Mr. Franklin must find the emergency.  First, however, Victor needs to win his school’s science fair–he’s calculated the success of his miniature Pompeii down to the smallest details.

What could go wrong?  Oh … just about everything.

Read it if you like science, history, mysteries, secret societies, or monsters.  It’s a fast-paced adventure that will leave you counting the days until September 1st, when the sequel is published.

Cat Haiku

Wardlaw, Lee (2011). Won Ton: A Cat Tale Told in Haiku (Gr. 2-5)

He’s a shelter cat, waiting for a home.  Like all cats, he’s picky, patient, and not about to admit that he’d like a nice family.  And, really, “Won Ton” is not a befitting name for an oriental prince (but he might tell you his real name if you’re lucky).  The highlight of this book is the format: each section is told in haiku with deliciously cat-like illustrations.

Read it for the cat, read it for the poetry, or read it for the gorgeous illustrations.  You’ll find something to enjoy!

A cow is God with a wet nose

Applegate, Katherine (2007). Home of the Brave (Gr. 4-6)

This is the difference between an immigrant and a refugee: an immigrant chooses when to move and where to move.  A refugee flees violence and certain death, and he doesn’t have much choice.  Kek is a refugee from Sudan who lands in Minneapolis, Minnesota in the middle of winter.  His father and brother are dead, and his mother is missing.  His aunt and cousin have also come to Minneapolis and are waiting for Kek to arrive.

Despite the bitterly cold weather, the unfamiliar language, the foreign customs, and the overwhelming luxuries he finds in America, Kek always looks on the bright side.  He finds a lonely cow who needs his help, a friend who shows him what objects should not go in a washing machine, and the strength to keep his family together.

The book is written in free verse, which makes the pages fly by very quickly.  Kek is funny and observant, and his story will make you see daily life in a whole new way.

Simply Stellar

Cottrell Boyce, Frank (2010). Cosmic (Gr. 4-6)

Liam is a big kid, and maybe he should have known better than to pose as an adult and send his friend into outer space on a super-secret rocket ship.   But, really, is it his fault that everyone thinks he’s 30 instead of 12 years old?

By the time we meet Liam, he and several other people are lost, drifting aimlessly through space in a rocket on a mission gone wrong.  Will Liam get back to Earth?  Will he see his parents again?  Has he had his fill of acting like an adult?

Frank Cottrell Boyce is the writer who brought us Millions and Framed, and Cosmic is just as wild, outlandish, funny, and somehow believable as his other books.  Read it if you like adventures, outer space, or despairing because adults are boring and/or have all the fun.

Kennedy, Kim (2010). Misty Gordon and the Mystery of the Ghost Pirates (Gr. 4-6)

Misty Gordon is the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Gordon, the owners of a business called D.E.A.D (Deceased’s Estate and Antique Dealer). One day, Misty chooses to accompany her father to the home of the deceased Madame Zaster, the town psychic, instead of having to watch her brother, James, and his friend, Hector do kung fu. Madame Zaster lived on Shadow Street, one of the oldest streets in the town. In her home, Misty and her father discover a crystal ball and a vanity with a pair of eye glasses that match Misty’s prescription exactly. When Misty wears the glasses, she is able to see and talk to ghosts. With her friend Yoshi, Misty finds out that her hometown is the resting place of three powerful objects that pirates had lost centuries ago. Now, the pirates are coming to retrieve their treasure – as ghosts!

Misty Gordon and the Mystery of the Ghost Pirates is a funny, suspenseful story with adventure in every chapter. I recommend this book to fourth and fifth graders who like mysteries that are a little scary. I give this book a “B+”.

Reviewed by Amariah, age 11

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Misty Gordon and the Mystery of the Ghost Pirates has been ordered by the Saugus Public Library and should be on the shelves within a few weeks.  In the meantime, you can request to have a copy sent to you through the NOBLE network.

Are you a kid who likes to read? The Children’s Room blog welcomes reviews from Saugus kids of all ages for any books (especially new books!) that are owned by the library. If you’re interested in submitting a review for the blog, please talk to Bethany.