Alice sits on a riverbank on a warm summer day, lounging lazing and reading over her sister’s shoulder, when she catches sight of a White Rabbit in a waistcoat running by her. "Curious..." she thinks to herself. The White Rabbit pulls out a pocket watch, exclaims that he is late, and pops down a rabbit hole. And, like any child would do, Alice decides to follow the rabbit down the hole, and thus our adventure begins!
Cake that makes you grow, drinks that make you shrink, talking animals of every sort, and a vengeful Queen of Hearts!! Alice's Adventures in Wonderland is one of the mot popular children's books ever written. This novel revolutionizes the way we teach and perceive children's stories, and opens the door into the complex world of Classical Literature.
“I give myself very good advice, but I very seldom follow it.”― Lewis Carroll, Alice's Adventures in Wonderland
Grade Level: 7.4
Sadako is born a lively and athletic child. She is the star of her school's running team, and a wonderful, outspoken student in school. When Sadako was 2 years old, a bomb dropped on the town of Hiroshima, one mile away from Sadako's home. As she grew up, she know she would always have scars from where she was scalded during the WWII bombing. And then the dizzy spells start, her parents realize that there may be more damage than just physical. Upon being diagnosed with Leukemia, Sadako chooses to face her future with bravery. Recalling an old Japanese legend, Sadako sets to work folding paper cranes.
"For the legend holds that if a sick person folds one thousand cranes, the gods will grant her wish and make her healthy again. Based on a true story."
The 8th Grade Class at D.R.C.S. is learning the Historical and Cultural context in Literature this month. Sadako and the Thousand Paper Cranes is a story that has been told to generations of children since its publication in 1977, and is one of the stories that stuck with me since my childhood. This is a story of bravery, war, love, and letting go. A must-read for everyone!!!
Grade Level: 4.1
Hazel Grace is a teenage girl living with Cancer. She wakes up every day knowing that she is slowly dying. On a seemingly ordinary day, Hazel meets a boy names Augustus. He makes her question the seeming monotony of her life and helps her see the beauty within herself. Hazel is a true heroine with whom we learn to love ourselves a bit more. She also shows how hard it is to love yourself. But after learning to love yourself, she can truly learn what it means to love someone else. Her story is about learning to be loved, even though life sometimes can end with tragedy.
The Fault in Our Stars has an extensive array of literary references that range from Shakespeare and on-wards. This novel can really bring home the issues of facing mortality, living with a chronic and catastrophic illness like Cancer, fate, life, and death.
Honestly, this is one of the best books I have read in a long time. I would still not let my children (if I had any) read this book until they were MUCH older that 6th grade (maybe even older than middle school!) There is mature language and romantic scenes that are not appropriate for children.
Please don't get me wrong; John Green is amazingly talented writer. I would just be a little cautions if I were giving his novels to any student not yet in high school (or older, maybe college would be best!)
Grade Level: 5.5
Like modern twists on classic fairy tales? Then this one is for you! Cinder has an uncanny gift at mechanics. Pretty handy if you are a cyborg working as a servant for her nasty old step-mother. But when a dashing young Prince arrives on scene, things between the sisters gets a bit dodgy.
Unfortunately having a crush on a prince doesn't bode well if you are having an intergalactic struggle between warring planets, right? Nope, it never does.
I personally LOVED this book. This book really brings home the idea of peace and what might be sacrificed in order to achieve it. It helps us question the reasons for making the choices that we do, and suggests that choices made for selfish reasons ALWAYS end badly for everyone.
There is a bit of romance that every parent should be aware of. There is quite a bit of not-so-subtle innuendos that I might be a bit leery of with a younger age group. There is also quite a bit of violence (Intergalactic Warfare and such) but nothing too overly graphic. It is Book I of the Lunar Chronicles Series. I look forward to reviewing Book to for you :)
Grave Level: 5.8
As Dr. Seuss month comes to a close, I would like to share three of the Seuss books we have read in class. Not everyone is a big Seuss fan, but you cannot deny how talented this man is at rhyming!!
If I Ran the Circus is about a young circus keeper that has high aspirations for his future occupation!!
My Personal favorite!! The Lorax !! Who couldn't love this little, fluffy, orange er.... thing? Beware the Lorax!!! He speaks for the trees. Since they cannot speak for themselves.
Cat in the Hat is about two young children stuck in the house on a rainy day. Nothing fun to.... KNOCK KNOCK!! Oh dear! The Cat in the Hat is here!!
In honor of National Punctuation Day, I read this classic story to my class. They thoroughly enjoyed the humorous scenarios created by the use and misuse of commas.
This is an excellent, fun read for all ages! It is interesting to see the drastic changes that can be made by the simple placement of punctuation marks.
Grade Level: 1.6
Haunting photographs.
An island devastated by war.
An empty, ruined orphanage.
And Jacob.
Jacob lives an ordinary life. He eats ordinary things and has a very ordinary job working at a Smart Aid. The only special thing he has is his Grandfather. Then, one fateful night, he doesn't have him anymore. Jacob is then haunted by the terrors that invade his grandfathers' childhood. Are they real?
After his grandfather's death, Jacob finds a letter that takes him to the desolate island off the coast of modern-day Wales. Did the children in my grandfathers stories actually exist? Or is there more to this story than meets the eye?
This book I simply could not put down. I HAD to find out what was going to happen next!! I did get a little creeped out by some of these old photographs as well. Be advised, this novel does have (sorry!!) a few crass conversations and (gasp!) a bad word or three. I would recommend this only to older students (High school and up) due to such content.
Grade Level: 5.7
Welcome to your first day of class!! If you are in Good (the school for princes, princesses and all manner of kind folk) you will learn what it truly means to be heroes. If you are in Evil...well you can figure that one out on your own.
Sophie thinks that with her pink dresses, sweet smile, and blonde hair, she will be a shoe-in for the school of Good. Agatha, her best friend, would rather sit in her dark, dungeon of a bedroom than socialize with anyone. They seem to fit the exact stereotype for Good and Evil. But when they arrive, a terrible mix up happens, and they are sent to the wrong schools.
Is this all some terrible accident? Or is this the first step in finding out who really is good and who really is evil?
This book is an excellent, fast paced read. I would recommend this book for high-school aged students, based on content (after all, there is a whole school devoted to being evil. When they say Evil, it is really EVIL and frankly kind of unnecessary with the amount of time they spend learning about maiming and harming cute animals.)
Grade Level: 5.1
The most wonderful news has come to the ears of the mother of the Bennet Daughters: Jane, Elizabeth, Mary, Kitty and Lydia. A young gentleman will be renting a large manor who is fabulously wealth and, of course, single. Mrs. Bennet is exceedingly desperate to marry of each of her daughters as not let them become burden upon society. Little does she know that with all of her meddling wiles, Mrs. Bennet could not conceive the events which were to follow Mr. Bingley's coming.
Jane, the eldest, develops a certain fondness for Mr. Bingley right away. Love at first sight seems very real to Jane. She confides in her sister Elizabeth, who has a very different view of love. Upon meeting Mr. Bingley for the first time, the also happen to meet his dear friend, Mr. Darcy. He seems sour; brooding even and wants very little to do with the things of this world which are enjoyable. Upon meeting, he insults Elizabeth who swears that she will never understand why such an arrogant and unpleasant man could exist.
Thought to be one of Austen's finest novels,Pride and Prejudice is certainly among the most well known. And while character development is present in all of her novels, this one in particular I believe has the most drastic changes and some of the most relate-able characters.
Grade Level: 12.0
Interest Level: 8.0-12.0
As poor Percy Jackson struggles through school (and does something rather embarrassing to his math teacher) he begins to suspect that his life is not what it seems. He discovers that his lifelong reading and attention troubles are all signs that he is a half-blood-a child of the Greek gods. After training, Percy and the gang go on a quest to recover Zeus' lost thunderbolt and stop a war between the fickle gods. Along the way, where modern life and mythology intersect to create both humor and excitement, Percy will come to know his father Poseidon, rescue his mother, and discover that he has what it takes to be a hero. Ultimately, Percy learns to trust his friends and his abilities and to choose love over despair. -Scholastic Review
This is such a great beginning to a series!! Riordan is a master of creating reading appeal to children (and adults!!). The Lightning Thief is the first book of the Olympian series, and has earned all of the hype. Truly an excellent novel; one which stays true to its mythological backgrounds. I appreciate when fiction is accurate when portraying concepts taken from Ancient mythologies. This novel is informative as well as a load of fun!
Grade Level: 4.7-4.9
