Review: Towers Falling

Towers Falling by Jewell Parker Rhodes
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This is Deja's story, but it's so much more. Deja and her family are homeless. They are the working poor. Her mother has a menial job and her father is suffering from some kind of illness. They live in a shelter. Deja is responsible for much of the care of her younger brother and sister. She is currently at the best school she's attended. It's in Brooklyn and through the windows students can see Manhattan's skyline. The teachers are implementing a new curriculum this year. Deja and her friends learn a lot about themselves, their families, and each other.

This is one of the most thoughtful, well written children's books I've read this year. Jewell Parker Rhodes tackles an amazingly difficult and complicated subject and makes it accessible for middle grade readers. I highly recommend this book.

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Review: Unusual Chickens for the Exceptional Poultry Farmer

Unusual Chickens for the Exceptional Poultry Farmer by Kelly Jones
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Sophie recently moves from the city to a rundown old farm her father has inherited. Her family has fallen on hard times and Sophie often has to make due with whatever she can find. To make matters worse, her family moved during the summer and Sophie has no friends. She finds some of the chickens that had been part of her great uncles flock, but they are not ordinary chickens - these chickens appear to have superpowers. But what does Sophie know...she's just a city girl??

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Review: Space Case

Space Case by Stuart Gibbs
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Dash is one of the residents on Moon Base Alpha, our first space station on the moon. He's there with his scientist parents and his little sister. Only a few of the other "moonies" are kids and life is pretty repetitive and boring, until one of the scientists is found dead on the planet outside the station. Was it an accident or was it murder? If it was murder then the murderer had to be one of the other moonies. Dash is determined to find out.

A wonderful mystery by Stuart Gibbs. The moon station he creates is not so different from the one Andy Weir created in The Martian. Life isn't luxurious or glamorous. The moonies face some interesting hardships such as eating dried food, a lack of entertainment, and the absence of many of the comforts we take for granted. This is a terrific mystery for middle grade readers.

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Gordon Korman

Gordon Korman talking to students about writing

Author Gordon Korman spent the day with us recently.  He spoke with our 3rd-6th grade students, conducted a Writer's Workshop, had lunch with reading teachers ,and signed books.  It was a busy day, but a good one.

He has an easy conversational way with the students, but he was at his best in the writer's workshop.  We had 20 4th and 5th graders participating in the workshop.  He set the scene, had them start with the somewhere in the middle of their story, and set them free.  It was magical.  All you could hear was the sound of the keys clicking on the Chrome Books the boys were typing on.

Writer's Workshop

He made it around to each boy several times encouraging and inspiring them.  Our 45 minute session passed in the blink of an eye.  As the session closed the asked for volunteers to read their work aloud.  We has time for several readers.  The boys' writing was a diverse as they are.  Mr. Korman was able to find a gem in each boy's work.  The boys were beaming with a sense of accomplishment and pride.  Many have asked to email their piece to Mr. Korman - which we surely will.

Review: Airborn

Airborn by Kenneth Oppel
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This story takes you to a time and place where airships rule the sky. Matt is the cabin boy on the Aurora, a ship his father had also served on. He rescues a balloonist who babbles about flying creatures. This sets up the primary adventure in our story. Along the way Matt enlists the help of Kate, a rich passenger, and Bruce the son of the air company's owner to save the Aurora.

This is an engaging, fast adventure story set in a world like ours, yet not ours. It appears this is the first in a series. I hope so!

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Review: The Secret Keepers

The Secret Keepers by Trenton Lee Stewart
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This book started really slowly, and since it's a fairly long book I debated whether or not to stick with it. I did and I ended up liking it a lot more than I expected. I still think it was too long and the story was a bit drawn out, but I ended up liking the book.

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Review: The Playbook: 52 Rules to Aim, Shoot, and Score in This Game Called Life

The Playbook: 52 Rules to Aim, Shoot, and Score in This Game Called Life by Kwame Alexander
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Kwame Alexander is giving advice to young readers. It's given in the form of a playbook, organized through basketball. He supports his advice with quotes from famous athletes. It's a quick read. It started out being inspirational, but somehow it felt a bit preachy by the end. I liked the examples of famous athletes that begin each section. I found those to be very inspirational. I especially liked the examples from his life. That was where the strength of this book lay.

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Review: House Arrest

House Arrest by K.A. Holt
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Timothy lives with his mother and medically fragile baby brother. His father left the family unexpectedly right after the baby brother's birth. Timothy and his mother are doing the best they can, but it's never enough. Not enough money, medicine, or time. In a weak moment Timothy steals a wallet to pay for his brother's medicine. As a part of his punishment he's placed under house arrest; must see his probation officer, and court appointed psychologist weekly; and must keep a journal. This book is his journal.

This is a beautifully written book. The emotion is raw and believable. I was truly unable to put this book down once I started it.

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Review: As Brave As You

As Brave As You by Jason Reynolds
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Ernie and Genie are brothers growing up in Brooklyn who need to spend a month with grandparents they don't know. These grandparents live in rural Virginia and their lifestyle is as different from the boys' as night is from day.

This is a wonderful book. I loved the way the characters are brought to life. The two boys are very different, and each stayed true to themselves throughout the book. I really enjoyed seeing the boys develop their relationships with their grandparents.

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Review: Out of My Mind

Out of My Mind by Sharon M. Draper
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Melody is a girl with a photographic memory and cerebral palsy. She is unable to speak, but has a lot to say. This is mostly the story of her 5th grade year. It's told from her perspective, and at times it's funny, but also very heartbreaking.

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Review: Socks

Socks by Beverly Cleary
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

Socks is a cat who has all of his owner's attention...until a new baby arrives. Now Socks is demoted to cat and he DOESN'T like it one bit! This story is told from Socks point of view.

I really like the Henry Huggins and Ramona Quimby books that Beverly Cleary has written. I had higher expectations for this book.

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Review: Why Did the Underwear Cross the Road?

Why Did the Underwear Cross the Road? by Gordon Korman
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Justin is an "Idea Man". He has BIG plans for everything he does. His school has declared that the month of April is "Good Deed" month and the team that earns the most points for doing good deeds will win a trip to the water park. Justin is determined to win, but he is paired with teammates who don't share Justin's drive and desire...and then there are all those BIG IDEAS that all seem to go wrong - in BIG WAYS.

This is a fun book for the 3rd-4th grade reader. Justin's plans are pretty hilarious when they backfire and they always do. The book is a bit far-fetched, but the farce makes it a fun read.

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Review: Summerlost

Summerlost by Ally Condie
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This is the story of a great friendship. Cedar and her brother and mother have purchased a summer home in the small town her mother grew up it. They are working on recovering from a devastating tragedy. Cedar finds Leo, a friend who introduces her to Summerlost, the local Shakespearean summer festival and to a mystery.

This is one of the best children's books I've read in a while. The characters are true and the emotions are raw. This one will stay with me for a long while.

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Review: Booked by Kwame Alexander

Booked by Kwame Alexander
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Nick is a star soccer player who's life is going pretty well until the class bullies are back in school, his parent's give him news that will rock his world, and then there's soccer.

This book is written in free verse and is full of interesting characters who handle real life situations in ways I think kids might. There is also a fun, caring, and quirky librarian - what's not to love about that? I love the attention to words that this book brings.

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Review: 100 Cupboards

100 Cupboards by N.D. Wilson
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Henry is orphaned when his parents disappear while biking in another country. He's sent to live with his aunt, uncle, and cousins that he doesn't know very well. Strange things are happening in their house and they only get stranger when Henry discovers locked cupboards that have been plastered over.

This book has a lot of promise, but it was slow starting out. I usually like fantasy books, but this one didn't grab me. I think there were too many characters and too much explaining. I know it's the first in a series. Maybe the other books move a bit faster since I now know the background information.

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Review: Save Me a Seat

Save Me a Seat by Sarah Weeks
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This is the story of Ravi and Joe and the first week of school. Ravi is new to his school AND new to the US. Joe's best friends have moved away and he doesn't have any friends at school. Both boys are plagued by the class bully who makes them dread coming to school each day.

The story is told in alternating chapters. We would often get an event from both Joe's and Ravi's point of view. Ravi is from India and there are a lot of non English words in the book. At the back of the book is a glossary of Ravi's words and Joe's word's. Joe's words are mostly American slang, while Ravi's words are foreign. I didn't learn about the glossary until I was finished with the book. This book is written by two authors - an American and an Indian. The voices of the characters are very true. This is a very well written middle grade novel.

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Review: When Dad Came Back

When Dad Came Back by Gary Soto
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Gabe's father left his family. He has been struggling with alcoholism and is now homeless. One day Gabe is out and his father shows up. Gabe's mom doesn't want his father in their lives at all. Gabe is torn about what to do.

This book really draws you in. Especially when the author describes where and how Gabe lives. It's not an easy life, but the author really makes the reader feel what it would be like.

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Review: The 100-Year-Old Secret

The 100-Year-Old Secret by Tracy Barrett
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Xena and Xander Holmes move to London with their parents and discover they are descendants of Sherlock Holmes himself. They've always loved solving puzzles so they don't seem too surprised. They are invited to join a club for relatives of famous detectives. An opportunity to look at one of Sherlock's unsolved cases arises and Xena and Xander go about trying to solve it.

This is the first book in the series. I'm interested in seeing what other detectives make an appearance. The story is a bit predictable and the characters are typical of what characters are like in children's books.

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Review: The Gathering

The Gathering by Dan Poblocki
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

Five very different children from different places are all drawn to Larkspur for different reasons. When they arrive they are in for a big shock. It's nothing like what they expected. This is a horror book. It's for kids who like to be scared. This is the first of three books. We learn about each of the kids and start to get an idea about why they were summoned to Larkspur when the book ends. To find out more you will need to read the next book.

I felt like the author sometime just put scary things in the book, because he saw it in a scary movie - that it didn't move the plot forward. I thought the book didn't get interesting until we started to learn more about the children and then it ended! I hate when authors do that. It kind of makes me mad.

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Review: Slacker

Slacker by Gordon Korman
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Cameron Boxer is the definition of a slacker. His world revolves around online gaming, to the extent that his house almost burnt down because he only paid attention to his game. His parents have had enough and insist that he gets involved in something constructive. He forms a club that is sure that no one will join, "Positive Action Group", but it's discovered and quickly becomes the most popular and active club at school. This is NOT what slacker president Cameron Boxer intended or expected.

Gordon Korman has written a middle grade novel that most every middle grader will be able to relate to. I like his positive characterizations of middle school students - especially Cameron Boxer. This is one of my favorite Korman books.

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Review: Ghost

Ghost by Jason Reynolds
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Ghost has been running all his life. Usually it's been away from trouble, but one day he stumbles upon a track team. His natural talent is noticed and his has the potential for great success. He must just stay out of trouble, but it's not as easy as it sounds, especially when you have a certain reputation...

I really liked the character of Ghost. I felt like he could have been a real boy. His mother works hard, but has little time left over for him. He's lucky to have other adults in his life that help him make choices. I also liked watching the way all the individual members of the track team began to pull together. This is a middle grade novel that is worth reading.

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Review: King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table

King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table by Benedict Flynn
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

A decent version of the Arthurian legends for middle grade readers. I read this as an audio book. I enjoyed hearing Sean Bean read this. He lent the characters the right amount of gravitas and nobility. This is very accessible for young readers. Some of the morality in the tales are difficult to explain, but this tells the tales without dwelling on some of the more mature aspects.

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Review: Pax

Pax by Sara Pennypacker
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Pax is the story of a Peter and the search for his pet fox, Pax. Along the way he overcomes great obstacles, meets people who change his life, and he finds out what's truly important. The book is told in alternating chapters between Peter and Pax.

I really wanted to LOVE this story, but I didn't. I liked learning more about foxes, but the part about the war, Vola, running away didn't ring true with me. The war being in his backyard really caught me my surprise. It seemed to come out of nowhere. While Vola would refer to herself as a grenade, I never felt the menace that would give weight to that statement. She was certainly cranky, but not so dangerous. A lot was implied about Peter's relationship with his father, but not much was revealed. I'm not sure most middle grade readers would make the connections the author seemed to be trying to lead the reader to make.

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FLL Robotics

The First Lego League competitive robotic season is over for us.  This was our inaugural season and it went very well.

The FLL program is really top notch.  It is for students in grades 5-8.  There are 4 components to the program, most of which are hidden from view.  The strands consist of the robot game - the most visible and the most exciting, core values, project/solution, and robot design/programming.  The four strands evaluate very different skills.  The teams that are the most well rounded are the teams that move to the next level of competition.

Our lower school technology coordinator (who is amazing - IMHO!) and I coached a team of nine 5th grade boys.  We began in September and met twice a week after school for an hour.  As our competition date drew closer we added a few weekend practices.  The time flew by with the boys being more productive as their sense of urgency increased.  The boys finished 3rd in the robot game, but didn't finish high enough in the other strands to move on.  I think they were slightly disappointed, but we were very proud of what they accomplished. 

 The competition we attended was held at our school.  Our school community is extremely supportive, and we had parent, student, and faculty volunteers working the event.  In addition to having our 5th grade team, the middle school had two teams competing.  All total there were 20 teams in attendance.  The day went extremely smoothly and surprisingly quickly.  It was a wonderful end to the first of many seasons to come.