The Bombed House

So I was planning on reading the Young Adults fiction section of the library from A-Z, but there were a group of kids in the "A" section so I went to the other side and now I'm reading from both sides and will meet somewhere in the middle many years from now.

The Bombed House by Jonny Zucker

This book is about the bombing of London during World War II.  Ned and Harry are two boys who are awaiting their relocation to the English countryside when they find a German solider hiding out in a bombed house.  They disobey their father and sneak out of the house to get a better look, but in the end they are treated like heroes.

I did not like this book at all.  It was very boring with not a lot of detail.  Almost every sentence was it's own paragraph set apart by a large space making the flow very difficult.  I would not recommend this to any of my students.

The Night Crossing

The Night Crossing by Karen Ackerman

This is a good introductory book for learning about the Holocaust for young readers.  The book is about a young girl named Clara and her family as they make preparations to journey from Austria to freedom in Switzerland.  The family wants to save a pair of candlesticks that are the only heirlooms they have left.  Clara is instrumental in keeping them safe from many people who would like the treasure by hiding them in her dolls. 

While this book alludes to the terrible exterminations of human life it does not talk about it directly, and everyone in Clara's family escapes unharmed, although there are some "close" calls to keep it exciting.

I would recommend this book for 2-4th grade students.  If you are studying WWII would make a good read aloud in a 2nd grade classroom.  

I give this book 2 stars out of 5

Ackerman, Karen. The Night Crossing. Alfred, A. Knopf. New York. 1994.

The Land of Elyon (series)

1. The Dark Hills Divide (2005)

2. Beyond the Valley of Thorns (2005)

3. The Tenth City (2006)

4. Into the Mist (2007)

5. Stargazer (2008)

I recommend reading this series in the order listed above, however, Patrick Carman says that Into the Mist can be read as a prequel to the trilogy.  Into the Mist explains some of the why, and back story of the first three books written, but I think it would spoil some of the magic of reading the books for the first time. 

Summary:

    The Land of Elyon has four cities that are walled-in keeping the "unknown"  (which of course is bad and scary) out and all of the people inside safe and sound.  The walls have done more than keep out the unknown though, they have also severed the magical link between the people and the animals in the Land of Elyon.  The Land of Elyon series follows a young girl named Alexa Daley who goes on many magical and mysterious journeys with several different friends, including a squirrel named Murphy and a giant named Armon.  She also has the help of many adults, such as the librarian, her father and some of his friends, although they don't always know they are helping.  
     Thomas and Roland Warvold are main characters that helped design the Land of Elyon as it changed over time.  Into the Mist tells of their childhood and how overcoming some early trials in an orphanage effected what they did over the course of their lifetimes. 

I would recommend this book for students who like fantasy and have about a 6th grade reading level. 

Carman, Patrick.  The Land of Elyon (book series). Scholastic Inc. New York.  2005-2008.

My Name is María Isabel

My Name is María Isabel

by Alma Flor Ada

This is a short story about a young girl named María Isabel Slazar Lopez, but her teacher shortened her name to Mary Lopez. María became depressed because she didn't even recognize her own name, and because she joined the class in the middle of the school year, she didn't have a part in the winter program.  After reading Charlotte's Web she writes a paper telling that her greatest wish is to be called by her given name. When her teacher realizes what has happened she gives her a special part in the winter pageant.  

What's in a name?  To some people, a name is everything.  This story reminds me that teachers should not shorten, or change names unless the child requests it.  This story would be good for use in a classroom to start a discussion about multiculturalism and a reminder of how we should all treat one another.     

 

This story is also found in grade 4, Theme 4 of the Houghton Mifflin Reading program.   

Ada, Alma Flor.  My Name is Maria Isabel. Illustrations, K. Dyble Thompson. Translation, Ana M. Cerro. Atheneum, New York. 1993.

How the Wizard Came to OZ

How the Wizard Came to OZ
By Donald Abbott

Ever wonder where the fraudulent Wizard in OZ hailed from?  Well this book will explain the history of the Wizard and many other things about the land of OZ.  This book talks of the two witches of the North and South, and the two bad witches of the East and West.  The Wizard, who has no magical powers, comes to OZ in a flying balloon and tries to improve the lives of the green loving Ozites.

How the Wizard Came to OZ is a good book if you love the book or movie The Wizard of OZ because it give some history and explains why certain things are how they are.  However the story line was hard to follow from chapter to chapter and the illustration are very antiquated.  I did not particularly enjoy this book, but found some parts of it interesting. 

Abbott, Donald. How the Wizard Came to OZ.  The Emerald City Press. New York, NY. 1991.

Firegirl

Tony Abbott. Firegirl. Little Brown and Company, New York. 2006.

A new girl, Jessica, joins Tom's class for just three weeks, but that time changes his life forever.  Jessica is the unfortunate victim of a terrible fire and is going through intense burn treatments.  The class is tense around her, not knowing quite what to say to her but Tom's few simple kindnesses reaching out to her make all the difference.

This was a great read about what it means to be "different" and how we should all react and live our lives when around those that are different from ourselves.

I would recommend this book for 5-8th grade students. 

Becoming Naomi León

Becoming Naomi León

By Pam Muñoz Ryan - Scholastic (2005) - Paperback - 272 pages - ISBN 0439269970

 Available in both English and Spanish!

León means lion, but Naomi doesn't feel like a lion. She is an excentric young girl who wears all hand made clothes and lives with her aging grandmother, Gram, and younger brother, Owen.  They all seem happy when one day their mother shows up and tries to befriend them but only wants to take Naomi home with her new boyfriend and leave Owen behind. They all go with some close neighbors in search of Naomi and Owens father in Mexico.  Naomi discovers her heritage and where her love of carving comes from as she gets to know her extended family and finally finds her father at an annual radish carving festival.  

I think that this book tells a great story about a non-traditional family and the struggles of a custody battle from the child's point of view.  It also uses rich language and inserts a lot of Spanish words in a way that explains the words.   

I would reccommend this book for 4-5th graders.