Zach, Alice, and Poppy are best friends. For years, they have been playing games that take them into their imaginary world of pirates, warriors and mermaids. Their queen, a bone-china doll, is their 'ruler'. One day their innocent games seems to take a turn for the worst. Poppy is having frightening dreams about their beloved queen. Zach is starting to feel too old for silly games, but will he abandon Poppy in her time of need?
These three embark on an overnight journey to right this murderous wrong, and meet some strange folk along the way. They must discover the truth about their China doll, and right the wrong from so many years ago.
Parents!! You should know that Doll Bones is REALLY creepy/spooky but in a non-violent way. It is really a story of friendship and learning how to be yourself as you grow up and try to navigate adolescence. The one most frightening scene involves an unbalanced and awkward stranger on the bus who wont go away. The story centers on the mysterious death of a girl long ago, and helps each child deal with difficult family backgrounds, and the loss of one child's parents.
Prepare to be creeped out!! In a good way :)
Grade Level: 5.4
Jacob Portman and his new-found peculiar friends are forced back in time to a war-torn 1940's London. The extraordinary children must face an unspeakably evil foe in order to rescue their beloved teacher Miss Peregrine and return to their own time back in the 21st century. But in these destitute surroundings, a great evil lurks around every corner. This novel uses never-before-published vintage photography to create a one-of-a-kind eerie experience.
Hollow City is the sequel to Miss. Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children, a novel I reviewed some time back.. The sequel does not disappoint!! I must say that these novels are not for everyone and can be a little frightening at times.
For those of us who are familiar with these books, I have posted the book's trailer below. It is eerily fascinating and a little frightening, but interesting nonetheless!! BE AWARE!! The trailer made me jump a little near 0:48. Maybe not good for the very young ages to watch or read.
:)
Have a look!
Grade Level: 5.7
This world has been divided to eliminate conflict. Each group of people is organized into their character qualities. Everyone should get along now, that they are only associating with like-minded people. Right?
What will you choose?
Amity-Peaceful
Abnegation-Selfless
Erudite-Intelligence
Candor-Honesty
Dauntless-Brave
It is Choosing Day. They day you get your future decided for you. Choosing a different path than your family? You will never see them again. But........ what if you can fit into more than one group? More than two? That is not possible. And if it is... well your life is in danger.
Tris, our heroine, is forced to use her bravery and selflessness to protect others even when she doesn't realize it. Calm Four encourages Tris to use her upbringing's focus on selflessness to be even more courageous. Tris and Four work together for the greater good, and sparks fly along the way.
If you are thinking about letting your student read this, please know that I had high hopes for this book. It is really well written, has fascinating characters and an extremely diverse universe. I did not like, however, the amount of inappropriate physical contact between the major characters. This is supposed to be a children's/teen book, but parts of it are really inappropriate. Violence in a daily routine for the characters in this story; many of them die, are murdered, and one character commits suicide. These scenes aren't overtly graphic, but still questionable for a young audience.
Book 1 of 3
Grade Level: 4.8
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
