The Wednesday Wars

Schmidt, Gary D. (2007).  The wednesday wars.  New York: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt.
Newbery Honor

(Grades 5-9)  Poor Holling Hoodhood is stuck with Mrs. Baker, his seventh grade teacher, every Wednesday afternoon while the rest of the class goes to religious classes.  Holling just knows that Mrs. Baker can't stand him.  His belief is confirmed when Mrs. Baker has Holling read Shakespeare's plays so that they can discuss it during their time together. 

Set in the 1960's, Schmidt creates some very likeable and memorable characters.  I loved this book.  You need to meet these fun characters and let Holling teach you about Shakespeare, cream puffs, rats, and bullies.  I wish more books were written like this.  Books that make you laugh out loud and cry along with characters.  Books with characters that you wish were real.  Books that you hate to see end. Books like this make students want to read.  They create readers.  If you don't pick up this book and love it as much as I did, I say, "Toads, beetles, bats!"

Misty Gordon and the Mystery of the Ghost Pirates

Kennedy, Kim.  (2010).  Misty gordon and the mystery of the ghost pirates.  New York: Amulet Books.
2012 Bluebonnet Book

(Grades 3-6) Misty Gordon comes from a quirky family.  Her father owns a shop called D.E.A.D. (Deceased's Estate and Antique Dealer).  Misty finds an old pair of glasses that used to belong to the deceased Madame Zaster that allows her to see ghosts.  Her father gives her an old phone from Fannie Belcher's estate which contains an old diary which discusses the Golden Three.  Misty enlists the help of her best friend, Yoshi, to help uncover the mystery of the Golden Three which must be found before their town is destroyed by ghost pirates.

This book has magic glasses, a crystal ball, pirates, ghosts, a walking fur coat, and a touch of greek mythology.  It took a little bit for the book to warm up, but it has plenty of silly moments that students will enjoy. 

Sea of Dreams

Nolan, Dennis. ( 2011).  Sea of dreams.  New York: Roaring Book Press.

(K-3)  A little girl builds a sand castle and leaves the beach at the end of the day.  The tide is coming in and her beautiful sand castle is about to meet its fate when a light comes on in the window.  A tiny family must flee the castle on a little boat to find a new home.  They embark on a journey of great adventure that only the ocean can give.  A wordless picture book with stunning and brilliant illustrations that are nothing short of magical.  A book to be enjoyed again and again and again...

Like Pickle Juice on a Cookie

Sternberg, Julie. (2011). Like pickle juice on a cookie.  New York: Amulet Books.
2012 Bluebonnet Book


(grades 2-4) Eight year old Eleanor's beloved babysitter, Bibi, has moved away.  It is the worst month of her life.  It's like pickle juice on a cookie.  Natalie is Eleanor's new babysitter and is sensitive to Eleanor's grief.  Eleanor struggles with doing activities with Natalie that she used to do with Bibi.

This book is just charming.  I loved it so much that I read it aloud with my class.  They fell in love with the book also.  The book is written in free verse and is simply poetic.  They are a few sweet illustrations scattered here and there that only add to the book's charm.

Hamster Magic

Jonell, Lynne.  (2010).  Hamster magic.  New York: Random House.
2012 Bluebonnet Book

(Grades 2-4)  Four siblings discover that they have a talking hamster.  Not only can Hammy, the hamster, speak, he can also grant a wish...a hamster wish.  Celia, the youngest of the siblings, is tired of being the littlest and wishes to be big; however, her granted wish didn't turn out quite the way she had hoped.  It is up to her siblings to find the Great Hamster to reverse the wish. 

I wasn't the biggest fan of this book and decided to read it aloud to my students to see if they would enjoy it.  They ate it up!  They loved the talking hamster, the magic, and the silliness of it all.  This is the first book in a series.  The next book in the series will be Lawnmower Magic.

The Duckling Gets a Cookie

  Willems, Mo.  (2012).  The duckling gets a cookie.  New York: Hyperion Books for Children.


The pigeon is back!!  YAY!!!  His little friend, Duckling, politely asks for a cookie and is given one.  You can only begin to imagine how our friend the pigeon is going to react.  The pigeon will have you laughing out loud with his crazy antics and tantrums.  This is the 7th book in the pigeon series and if you have never read any of the pigeon books, well, you're definitely missing out!

Mo Willems is a master at giving his characters voice and personality through his simple and award-winning illustrations.  I went and picked up this book the day it was released.  I just couldn't wait to get my hands on it and read it to my students the very next day.  My kiddos were ecstatic when they saw what I had in my hands when I came to the carpet for one of our daily read alouds.

Wonder Struck

Selznick, Brian. (2011). Wonderstruck.  New York:  Scholastic Press.
2012 Bluebonnet Book


Double-page pencil drawings, set in 1927, follow the story of a girl named Rose who is deaf.  Rose escapes to New York to find her mother, an actress.  The text, set in 1977, follows Ben, a boy who loses his hearing from a lightning strike and has recently lost his beloved mother.  Ben has never met his father and begins a journey to New York to find him.  Rose and Ben are connected, but the answer to "how?" is found at the end of this magnificent read. 

Although this book is more than 600 pages, it is a quick read and a feast for the eyes. I loved this book and devoured it quickly!

The One and Only Ivan

Applegate, Katherine. (2012).  The one and only ivan. New York: Harper.


Ivan is a gorilla that has been living in a glass enclosure at the mall for 27 years.  He watches TV and draws pictures while visitors come and gawk at him.  His friend Stella, an elephant, and an old stray dog named Bob keep him company at the mall.  A baby elephant named Ruby arrives and Ivan promises Stella that he will take care of her.  When Stella dies, Ivan comes up with a plan to fulfill his promise to Stella.

The One and Only Ivan is inspired by a real gorilla.  Ivan is the narrator of his story and it is written in short, poetic paragraphs.  Sweet, black and white illustrations capture the mood of this lovely and endearing story.  I absolutely adore this book, not just because I'm an animal lover, but because Ivan reminds us about caring for others and following your dreams.

Wonder

Palacio, R.J. (2012).  Wonder. New York: Alfred A. Knopf.

August Pullman is a fifth grader that was born with severe facial abnormalities.  He has been home-schooled his whole life and is about to embark on a new journey...private school.  Will Auggie get his classmates so see beyond his appearance and see the kind, funny, and smart boy that he is or will it be like, what his father described as, sending a "lamb to the slaughter?"

Wonder is just wonderful!  One of my favorite books I have read this year.  I could hardly put down this exceptional story about family, friendship, acceptance, courage, and the human spirit.  The characters in this story linger around your heart and mind long after you have finished the book.  Definitely a book you will have a hard time putting down!  It made me laugh out loud and cry.

The False Prince

Nielsen, Jennifer A. (2012). The false prince.  New York: Scholastic Press.

The kingdom of Carthya is on the verge of civil war after the king and his family have been poisoned. Conner, one of the king's noblemen, has brought Sage, a clever 15 year old orphan, and two other orphans to compete for the role as the king's long-lost son, Prince Jaron, to prevent the impendig war.  Sage begins to learn that Conner's motives are less than honorable and only one orphan will survive.

I found The False Prince, the first book in a trilogy, hard to put down.  It had many plot twists, surprises, and a great characters.  Sage is defiant, stubborn, smart, and savvy.  I looking forward to learning more about him in the next book.