Frindle - Andrew Clements

Frindle

by Andrew Clements
Ill. by Brian Selznick

★★★★☆

Summary

Nick Allen is a very bright 5th grader who likes to step out on his own against the main stream.  His teacher Mrs. Granger tells the class the history of how new words are made and Nick decides that he is going to create a new word of his own.  Frindle.  That was Nick's new word for pen.  Pretty soon kids, then adults all over weren't using the word pen anymore, but the word frindle.  Mrs. Granger tries to put a stop to it, but it was too late, the word had become a sensation.  

Review 

This book is well written, and I would recommend it for 3rd-5th grade students.  Kids will enjoy reading this story of a word invention by a student their own age.  Nick likes attention and can be a bit obstinate, but he is humble in the end.  I think that most kids will be able to connect to this book easily.  While this is a very good story, the characters are not very deep and some students might desire more.  

For Teachers

Andrew Clements' webpage has a lot of good information that could be used in an author study here.  More specifically is the page dedicated to Frindle including answers to some frequently asked questions about the book.  This was a great resource!

If reading this story with a whole class, you should be ready for your own students to start creating their own new words.  :)   This died down in my class after a few weeks, but it was interesting for a while.  

Technical Stuff (From Amazon)

• Reading level: Ages 8 and up
• Paperback: 112 pages
• Publisher: Atheneum Books for Young Readers (February 1, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0689818769
• ISBN-13: 978-0689818769

The Journal of Douglas Allen Deeds - Rodman Philbrick

The Journal of Douglas Allen Deeds : The Donner Party Expedition, 1846

by Rodman Philbrick

★★★★★

Summary

This is a journal style book written from the point of view of 16 year old Douglas Deeds in 1846.  He is alone, just him and his horse until he joins up with the Donner Party as they head toward the Oregon Territory. He is loyal to the party, even when they hit hard times and he could have left.  He and the Donner party cross with many hardships, including the issue of cannibalism when members of the party are dying and others are starving to death. 

Review 

Love, Love, Love this series!  This is a wonderful historical fiction piece based on the true story of the fated Donner Party.  The story of the Donner Party is a hard one to speak to students about, but this book does a wonderful job of explaining it from a young man's point of view.  I would recommend this book for small book groups for mature 5-6th graders.  5-8th grade students could learn a lot about the Oregon Trail and the hard decisions that had to be made to survive just 160 years ago in American History.  The Journal of Douglas Allen Deeds is book 13 in the "My Name is America" book series, a series for middle grade boys. 

Technical Stuff (From Amazon)

• Reading level: Ages 9 and up
• Hardcover: 158 pages
• Publisher: Scholastic Inc.; 1st edition (November 1, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0439216001
• ISBN-13: 978-0439216005

The Gawgon and the Boy - Lloyd Alexander

The Gawgon and the Boy
by Lloyd Alexander

★☆☆☆☆

Summary

David is an 11 year old boy living in the early 1920's who has been too sick to attend school.  He spends his time writing stories, drawing and playing indoors.  His parents decide that he will be part time home schooled by his great aunt whom he secretly nicknames "The Gawgon," a terrifying female creature in Greek Mythology.  Durning a lesson she discovers this nick name but rather than getting upset about it welcomes it and nicknames David "The Boy."  

During their studies David learns about Napoleon, Leonardo Da Vinci, Sherlock Holmes and many other characters.  Intermingled with the stories of David's "real life" are fantasy stories that he makes up about himself, The Gawgon and the multiple characters he has learned about.  

Review

The story line is difficult to follow with the same characters occurring in David's fantasy stories as in Alexander's.  There are many very clever conjunctions between these characters that most school aged children would not understand, they would just confuse most young readers.  That being said, a student who was very well rounded in their studies might enjoy the mix up of historical and fictional characters in the fantasy of David's life.  Personally, I would not recommend this book to my students.  

For Teachers 

My Favorite Quote: "What's gone is gone.  Sometimes we lose what we love best. ... We always keep loving and remembering, but the past isn't a good place to live in, only to visit from time to time."  page 107, chapter 7.

Lloyd Alexander B. Jan 30, 1924- D. May 17, 2007

There are several websites about Lloyd Alexander.  One I particularly liked was: http://www.nndb.com/people/057/000044922/  

Technical Stuff

Alexander, Lloyd. The Gawgon and the Boy. Dutton Children's Books.  New York.  2001

ISBN: 0-525-46677-0

Callie's Rules - Naomi Zucker

Callie's Rules
by Naomi Zucker

★★★☆☆

Summary

A sixth grader in her first month, Callie, finds out that Halloween in Hillcrest is cancelled.  This is big news for her family and she works hard to keep a family tradition alive while staying within the town's rules.  Callie does have to break a few social "rules" that she has painstakingly learned from her peers in order to do this, but it is worth it!

Review

I think that this book could inspire young girls to be themselves, and stay original even when it is hard, and everyone else is tiptoeing around the unspoken social rules of middle school.  I would recommend this book for 5th-7th graders.

For Teachers 
The Author Website contains some discussion guides with questions and talking points.  I think that this book and discussion guide would work well in small group reading circles.  Girls would probably get the most out of this book.

Technical Stuff
Zucker, Naomi, Callie's Rules. Egmont. New York. 2009

Riding Freedom - Pam Muñoz Ryan

Riding Freedom 
By: Pam Muñoz Ryan 
Illustrated by: Brian Selznick
★★★★★

Summary

Charlotte Parkhurst became an orphan at the age of two when her parents were killed in a horse and buggy wreck during a storm.  She grew up in an orphanage for boys where she helped in the kitchen and spent as much time as she could out in the stables with the horses.

One Day she knew that she had to leave, or be stuck in the kitchen forever.  She disguises herself as a boy, because of course a girl can't travel alone in the mid 1800's, and narrowly escapes.  In the next few years, she has several close call but ends up as "Charley" spending the rest of her days among horses and stagecoaches making quite a name for herself.  

Review

        

Riding Freedom is a truly lovely book of historical fiction.  In a note from the author, we find out that this story is based on the true life story of Charlotte Darkey Parkhurst, making this an even more charming novel.  I would most defiantly recommend this book to 3rd-6th graders.

Author Website

http://www.pammunozryan.com/

This website has some great resources for teachers including a few reader's theater scripts for her other books, none yet for Riding Freedom.  

Technical Stuff

Ryan, Pam Muñoz. Riding Freedom. Ill. Brian Selznick.  Scholastic Inc. New York. 1998.  

ISBN-13: 978-0-439-08786-4

ISBN-10: 0-439-08796-1

The Old Willis Place - Mary Downing Hahn

The Old Willis Place 
by Mary Downing Hahn 

★★★★☆

Summary:

Georgie and Diana seem like perfectly normal siblings, they take care of one another because their parents are dead.  They live on the estate of The Old Willis Place.  One average day a care taker of the estate and his daughter, Lissa, move in.  Diana wants desperately to become friends with Lissa, but Georgie reminds them of their pact to not let themselves be seen.  

Through a series of descriptions of Diana and Georgie and their interactions with Lissa the reader discovers that Diana and Georgie are non corporeal this leads into some detective work to find out why they are still on the property and what exactly happened to Old Miss Willis.  

Review:  This is a great ghost story for young readers!  It keeps you guessing, but explains everything well throughout the course of the book.  There are a few scary parts, but for a ghost story it is relatively tame.  I would recommend this book to kids in grades 4-6 who like a good ghost story.  

Author Website: www.marydowninghahnbooks.com

Technical Stuff:

ISBN-13: 978-0-545-08711-7

ISBN-10: 0-545-08711-2

Hahn, Mary Downing. The Old Willis Place. Scholastic INC. New York. 2004

Andrew Clements' Benjamin Pratt & The Keepers of the School: We The Children

Benjamin Pratt & The Keepers of the School: We The Children

Andrew Clements, Illustrated by Adam Stower

★★☆☆☆

Summary

Benjamin Pratt is a carefree boy who is excited about an amusement park taking the place of his school building.  That is he was, until the janitor gives him a very old coin with instructions to defend the school no matter what. Benjamin scourers the school with his best friend Jill looking for clues and to come up with a way to save their school. The new janitor is  after them, and does not want them to succeed. 

Review

This is the first book in a series by Andrew Clements.  It had a pretty slow beginning and unfortunately didn't become exciting until the very end where there was no conclusion except to look for Book 2 of the series.  I guess I will look for it later, but I'm in no real rush to do so.  

Clements was one of my favorite authors as a kid because of Frindle, and I've used his book No Talking as a read aloud in my classroom.  I like the real world scenarios about school and friendship that usually weave through the plot lines, and while not completely absent here, they are not up to the standards I've grown accustomed to in Clements work.  I have to say that it seems like the publishers might have broken one good book up into a trilogy to cash in on extra book sales.  

That being said, I would still recommend this to students in grades 3-5 if they like mystery and suspense because it is a wholesome and interesting book.  

Publisher Stuff:

Published by Atheneum Books for Young Readers

ISBN 978-1-4169-3886-6

Copyright 2010

The Postcard

The Postcard
by Tony Abbott

★★★★★

Jason, a young boy from Boston, finds out that his grandmother, whom he has never met, has just died.  His father wants Jason to come to Florida to help clean out his grandmother's house so that they can sell it.  While cleaning, he finds a postcard that changes his life forever.  The postcard leads him and his new friend Dia on an adventure all over the city of St. Petersburg, Flordia.  Along the way they discover the truth about Jason's grandmother, all the while being chased by the criminals who hid the clues to the truth in the first place.  

I would definitely recommend this book for 4th-7th graders who like an adventure full of twists and turns. It is a mystery within a mystery, full of surprises that you can't wait to discover. 

Tony Abbott's webpage has tons of info about him, The Postcard, and his other books.

Abbott, Tony.  The Postcard. Little, Brown and Company, New York 2008
ISBN: 978-0-316-03354-1