Icebound Land by John Flanagan - ESSENTIAL

Flanagan, John Icebound Land 272 p. Penguin

EL, MS - ESSENTIAL

Will and Evanlyn have been captured by the wolfshipmen and are being forcibly taken to Skandia as slaves. Halt and Tug are determined to follow and rescue the pair. Before the adventure can begin, however, both groups have seemingly insurmountable obstacles to surmount. 

While the action, tension and excitement are palpable in this third of the series, it is also one very long setup for the next book, as the action cuts off midway, making the book feel unfinished. I would rather have a 400-500 page book that tells the whole story, but I will be content with what I got and I know that the students who have started the series will be very happy with this installment.

CINDY

Larger Than Life Laura by Dandi Mackall - ESSENTIAL

Mackall, Dandi Daley Larger-Than-Life Lara 151 p. Penguin – 

EL, MS, HS – ESSENTIAL

Laney’s fourth grade class is stunned the day that Lara, the fattest girl they have ever seen, walks into their classroom. This girl is so fat, that she needs a special desk. Lara’s parents have instilled her with a healthy sense of self-esteem, but she is hard pressed to keep her chin up against the unreasonable prejudice of her fellow students. 

This book will make you cry and it should be read to every child every single year. 

CINDY

Christmas in the Trenches by John McCutcheon - ESSENTIAL

McCutcheon John Christmas in the Trenches PICTURE BOOK Peachtree

EL, MS, HS – ESSENTIAL

Christmas Day 1914, the two armies of World War I exit their trenches and meet in the middle to celebrate the day during a spontaneous truce. Although these actions did not stop the war, it left a feeling of hope in the hearts of each soldier who participated. Also included is a CD of the original song that McCutcheon also wrote. Having been to Flanders Fields myself, I call tell you that this is an important part of the WWI story. This subject should be fit into the curriculum anywhere it can – English, Geography, Music, Art – wherever. 

CINDY

Beds, Bedrooms and Pajamas by Patricia Lauber - ESSENTIAL

Lauber, Patricia What You Never Knew About Beds, Bedrooms and Pajamas PICTURE BOOK Simon and Schuster - 

EL, MS, HS - ESSENTIAL

A new addition to the Around the House series. Bright and fun illustrations compliment a quirky fact-filled picture book about sleeping and its accessories through the ages and around the globe. Teachers of any age of student could use this book in their classroom.

 

Bringing Ezra Back by Cynthia DeFelice - OPTIONAL

DeFelice, Cynthia Bringing Ezra Back 148 p. FSG -

EL, MS - OPTIONAL

The Fowler family has recovered from the vicious attacks by "Weasel", though their mother passed away from a fever later. Now, a traveling peddler brings along a flyer that proclaims "See the White Injun, A man with no name and no tongue! Deaf and Dumb," and Nathan is sure that this "injun" is their old friend Ezra, who helped rescue them from Weasel. Nathan is determined to seek out this traveling show and rescue his friend, even if he has to learn to trust the world again.

After the tense danger of "Weasel", this sequel comes off as a milder entry. Though it does answer questions about Ezra, it only raises more at the end. I would prefer to have "Weasel" in hardcover and this one in paperback.

CINDY

Disney Dossiers by Jeff Kurti - ADVISABLE

Kurti, Jeff Disney Dossiers 159 p. Disney Editions -

EL. MS. HS - ADVISABLE

An awesome full-color soft cover book with details and gossip and behind scene information on the entire cast of Disney animated characters up through 2004's Home on the Range. I revisited original friends that I hadn't thought about in years and met new characters from movies I haven't seen. The author's honesty is fresh and fun. I am a little worried about putting this book on the shelves, because I am sure it will be loved to death.

My Life Starring Mum by Chloe Rayban - OPTIONAL

Rayban, Chloe My Life Starring Mum 279 p. Bloomsbury -

EL, MS - OPTIONAL

Holly's mum is the famous British singer Khandi. When a threat against Holly shows up, she is whisked away from her school and her friends to a high-security hotel where her mother alternately ignores her or tries to turn Holly into a younger version of herself.

 The story moves very quickly, keeping the reader's interest, until the very end, where it abruptly sputters and dies mid-stream. This has happened in so many books that I have read that I wonder if authors have lost the art of the denouement. There is absolutely no resolution, only a short, unsatisfying reunion scene, with a flippant end. Despite that, I think younger readers will enjoy Holly's life and adventure and are probably not knowledgeable enough to be frustrated by the ending. There are five clunky, unnecessary uses of swear words, though.

CINDY

That Girl Lucy Moon by Amy Timberlake - ESSENTIAL

Timberlake, Amy That Girl Lucy Moon 294 p. Hyperion -

 EL, MS - ESSENTIAL

As Lucy starts her sixth grade year at the local middle school, her photographer mother takes off on an extended trip in search of clouds. Her friends start growing and changing and Lucy feels left behind and out of the loop - especially when she receives unwarranted discipline after organizing a protest against the fencing of the town's favorite sledding spot. Winter causes Lucy's light to dim and she ceases to care whether her mother ever returns.

 A beautiful book in the tradition of Stargirl, with a new heroine who doesn't seem to think she needs to lie down and take it. And after reading snippets of Lucy's antics in elementary school, I kind of wish the author would also write a prequel.

CINDY

The Silver Spoon of Solomon Snow by Kaye Umansky - OPTIONAL

Umansky, Kaye The Silver Spoon of Solomon Snow, 304 p. Candlewick

EL-OPTIONAL

One fateful day, Solomon Snow discovers that he truly is a foundling, left in the snow with only a napkin and a silver spoon as the keys to his origins. Along with Prudence, a girl too smart for the village, he ventures to Town in search of spoon, which his stepfather pawned more than a year earlier. Along the way they acquire a little girl, a rabbit and chimney sweep – all of whom are key to solving the mystery. 

Written after the author was inspired by Dickens, the parody of old Victorian novels. I know adults would appreciate the book, but I am not so sure about children.

CINDY

Uncharted Waters by Leslie Bulion - OPTIONAL

Bulion, Leslie Uncharted Waters, 185 p. Peachtree

EL-OPTIONAL

Jonah and his little sister Jaye are spending the summer with their beloved uncle in a cabin on a lake. Jonah, however, is hiding two secrets – that he will have to repeat seventh grade English if he doesn’t finish his final writing project and that his encounter with a jellyfish has left him afraid to go in the water. Jaye has taken his place in the local summer swim program and Jonah has found a job working for a local dock owner, but his fear of the water will come back to haunt him when he takes a job helping a young marine biologist. 

CINDY

The Secret-keeper by Kate Coombs - ADVISABLE

Coombs, Kate The Secret-keeper, PICTURE BOOK Simon Schuster

EL – ADVSIABLE

Kalli has been hearing and keeping the villagers’ secrets for years, but is made sick by the burden during one long winter. The villagers find a way to ease her heart and help her recover her spirit. 

Don’t make the mistake of dismissing this picture book as a rip off of Sharon Shinn’s Safe-keeper’s Secret, though at the beginning the similarities are a bit irksome. Instead, enjoy this sweet little book that is so full of hope. Can anyone think of a way this would be useful in a secondary classroom? 

The Plague: My side of the story by Philip Wooderson - OPTIONAL

Wooderson, Philip The Plague: My side of the story, 192 p. Houghton

EL, MS - OPTIONAL

Rachel and Robert’s lives intersect in her father’s shop, where Robert is the apprentice, just as the plague takes hold in 1665 London. Even as the plague devastates London and moves into the villages, someone is trying to ruins Rachel’s father’s cloth business. 

This book is written back to back, with the reader having to flip the book in order to finish. The hype on the inside would have you believe that both sides give different, and possibly conflicting, views of the same action. Instead, one is really only a continuation of the other – and I started reading the wrong one first and knew the end before I had even begun! It really is necessary to read Rachel’s story first. Other than that quirk, the novel is a middle quality read that adds little to the drama around the Black Death. 

CINDY