Books to Blog about:      **Chapter book

2 Pura Belpre:

**Esparanza Rising

Martina the Beautiful Cockroach

2 Coretta Scott King:

**Bud, Not Buddy

The Bat Boy and the Violin

4 Blue Bonnett:

**Mudshark

Pale Male

Cook-A-Doodle-Doo!

**The Strange Case of Origami Yoda

4 Caldecott:

Owl Moon

Sylvester and the Magic Pebble

The Hello Goodbye Window

The Relatives Came

4 Newberry:

**Because of Winn-Dixie

**The Whipping Boy

**Knee-Knock Rise

**Island of the Blue Dolphins

3 Notable Books:

Tops and Bottoms

Click Clack Moo Cows that Type

Knuffle Bunny

3 New York Times Best Sellers:

**Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows

Oh the Places You’ll Go

Olivia

**Twilight

**The Hunger Games

5 Challenged Books

**Bridge to Terabithia

**The Great Gilly Hopkins

**Harry Potter and The Sorcerer’s Stone

**The Witches

**The Giver

Meyer, S. (2005). Twilight. [New York]: Little Brown.

Bella moves to dreary, small town Forks, Washington to be with her father, and she soon meets the mysterious Edward Cullen, whose family has a dark secret. After several strange encounters, Bella and Edward begin spending time together, despite the warning from her friends and Edward’s reluctance to do so. Soon Bella discovers that Edward has reason to be cautious, and she too should be afraid because he is a vampire. As Bella learns more about Edward’s family of peaceful vampires, she is soon in danger from other vampires who are after her. As the Cullen family work to protect Bella, they all face many threats and soon must battle with violent vampires. Bella struggles to stay alive and on good terms with her father, but as true love wins out, her biggest struggle is just to be with Edward.

I was very reluctant to read some weird book about vampires, and I was sure I would hate it. However, as soon as I began reading I was hooked by the compelling story and vivid details. Even the strange idea of vampires was believable because of the depth of description and plausible storyline (besides the whole immortal vampire stuff!) Although I didn’t think I would like it, I found myself engrossed in the books, and ended up reading the entire series. I feel this is a great book series for adults and perhaps teenagers, but it is far too mature for those tweens that are still in elementary school. I wouldn’t recommend it for my students because of the content, but it is great for older readers.

Juster, N. (2001). The Hello Goodbye Window. [New York]: Scholastic.

This cute story shows a young child’s perspective of a visit to a grandparent’s house. The special window in the kitchen is the first and last place they see each other. It is also a fun backdrop for many activities from star gazing to glimpses from imaginary visitors.

I loved this adorable tale that reminded me vividly of my own grandmother’s kitchen window. I enjoyed the way the illustrations complemented the story adding details (like the “tiger” that is really a house cat) and the visiting T-Rex, which is just an eye as large as the window.  The illustrator, Chris Raschka also did a wonderful job creating the characters with features that add emotion, but also seem to fit almost any reader (the character could be a boy or girl of many different racial backgrounds.)  Over all, this was a very enjoyable story that I will love sharing with students and other children often.

Ryan, P.M. (2000). Esperanza Rising. [New York]: Scholastic.

For Esperanza, everything is wonderful in her happy home in Aguascalientes, Mexico until a terrible tragedy changes her life forever. As they begin to build a new future in America, Esperanza and her mother face hardships as they begin the difficult life of migrant farmer workers. At first Esperanza doesn’t understand that she is now considered a peasant and she struggles with the daily chores needed. Soon she learns what to do, and she has to take care of Mama when she gets desperately ill. With the backdrop of the Dust Bowl and migrant worker’s rights, this story has many layers of meaning.

This touching story broke my heart again and again as Esperanza and her mother struggle to survive in their new land. Their troubles helped me to understand the hardships and difficulties that face immigrant workers, even though this is far from my own reality. I loved how Pam Muñoz  Ryan used the harvesting season to mark the chapters in her book, as this is how many migrant farmers describe time. This book is exactly what I think great multicultural literature should be – a wonderful story that transports the reader into another culture with rich description, deep, dynamic characters, and unique experiences that define the many ways of life for the people of that culture.

Collins, S. (2008). The Hunger Games. [New York]. Scholastic.

In a future world, the remnants of North America are part of a new nation, Panem. The Capitol rules over the other twelve districts with force and cruelty, especially during The Hunger Games, where two teenagers from each district are forced fight to the death while everyone watches. Katniss, Peeta, and the other “tributes” must find a way to survive, knowing that only one of them will make it out alive.

While reading this story, I was really struck by the callousness of the Games, and I found it difficult to image the brutality. However, the story was so well written, that I found myself wrapped up in the emotional tug-o-war that Katniss faces throughout the story. It was really difficult to put the book down once I started reading, and I couldn’t wait to turn the page to find out what would happen next. The pace of the story was great, and the author’s descriptions really helped me feel the pain, loneliness, anxiety, fear, and anger of the characters. I can’t wait to read the second and third books in the series next.

Stephens, J. and Stephens, S.S. (2005). Cook-A-Doodle-Doo!. [New York]. Voyager.

This twist on the classic fairy tale, The Little Red Hen, Rooster is tired of chicken feed, so he enlists the help of his friends to make strawberry shortcake. The animals aren’t much help with the baking, so Rooster must teach them what many of the steps in the recipe actually mean. This makes for many fun mistakes, as they try to finish the treat.

I chuckled out loud several times while reading this fun book. The well paced story has just the right amount of predictability and humor, and the illustrations add much to the plot. It is great for young children who, like Iguana, often visualize literal translations of common puns like beating an egg or a cup of milk. I love the idea of including the actual recipe with the story, and the detailed instructions that are included in the margin are a great compliment to both the story and the recipe. Overall, I found this to be a very enjoyable book.

Seuss, Dr. (1990). Oh, the Places You’ll Go!. [New York]: Random House.

Another magical rhyming tale from Dr. Seuss helps children see the wonder and hardships the future will bring. I love the way the silly nonsense words blend with a deep meaningful message to show the good times and bad times that we all face. It is both a sing-song story and a book of sound advice from a wise mentor. From the promises of “Fame! You’ll be famous” to the warnings of “Bang-ups and Hang-ups” this book helps children from four to ninety-four feel hope for the future.

This is my number one all time favorite book. I cry each time I read it because I hope those I read it to will get as much from the story as I do. I made it a tradition to read it on the last day of school to my students, and then I tell them my hopes for their futures. It is my “go-to” story for a bad day, and it gives me hope when I begin a new adventure (like going back to school!) Oh, the Places You’ll Go! is the ultimate “pick-me-up!”