Summer Reading for Second Grade

It is summer break and parents have been asking for suggestions for their students.  Here are some suggestions that I sent specifically to a young girl going into second grade.  There is a fairly wide range of reading difficulty included in this list so you can find something that fits needs from emergent readers to those who feel comfortable with a bigger reading challenge.  I have included fiction (with a separate section for series books) as well as non-fiction. 

The goal of the summer should be to have fun with reading.  I can not plead enough that you not worry so much about what is being read or even if reading takes place every day as you are about finding something that brings joy.  No one will being reading the classics without a firm foundation and that the secure knowledge that there is pleasure in reading.  Leave books around where they are easy to pick up and read.  Read to children and then stop at the exciting part so they have to finish by themselves.  Just read to your kids, whether they read alone or not.  In addition to inspiring your budding reader, you also get a special time with a very wonderful child.

Let your kids see you read for pleasure.  If mom and dad (I have read a lot of literature that suggests that dad has the greatest influence on encouraging kids to read) read for the sheer joy of it and kids see them doing it, those kids are going to sense that reading is a good idea.  If parents are too busy to read, it doesn't take long for children to get the message that there are more important and more enjoyable things to do than read.

Finally, encourage kids to play outside.  The fresh air and creativity will stimulate areas of their brains that often get neglected and any mental stimulation will make reading (and most of the rest of life) easier and more enjoyable.

Here is the list aimed primarily at readers ages 6 to 8.

The #1 Train Spotter and Anna Hibiscus by Atinuke are very popular with people just beginning to read chapter books by them self. They both have sequels.   The Train Spotter books have a detective bent to them.  Anna Hibiscus is a little easier to read and is the story of a young girl living in Africa.  Her mother is not from Africa which offers opportunities to discuss cultural differences in a pleasant, familial setting.

Ivy and Bean by Ann Barrows has grown into a good sized series about two little girls who were reluctant to become friends but soon find that they have much in common.  They are nice kids with a generous dose of mischievousness in their lives. Their adventures will seem very familiar to most girls aged 6 to 10.

Rabbit and Robot:  The Sleepover by Cece Bell will be an easy read as it is a first chapter book.  It is a cute story about a rabbit and a robot who can't seem to find the perfect thing to do on a sleepover because they have very different personalities and interests.  Of course they eventually find the perfect way to enjoy each other's company.  I found this book to be very enjoyable with some good surprises from the usual friends-getting-along story.

The Pain and The Great One by Judy Blume are great for a first introduction to the humor and real feel of childhood interests for readers not quite ready for Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing.  A brother and sister give humor to the complications of deciding who is bothering whom.

Bad Kitty by Nick Bruel is a series that includes both picture books and easy, highly-illustrated chapter books about, you guessed it, a bad kitty.  Luckily the kitty is also pretty lovable and has fun adventures.

Beverly Cleary books like those about Ramona Quimby and her friends are classics of children's literature.  Ramona may have been the first of the now popular genre of realistic fiction about young, strong girls. They are certainly some of the best books in this genre to this day.  Ramona and Beezus and their friends have become a part of our literary culture so I think every child deserves to have exposure to them.

Amber Brown by Paula Danzinger is featured in a growing series.  She fits nicely into the realistic fiction about lower elementary age girls.  Amber's parents divorce in this series which may make them especially relevant for some families.

Bink and Gollie by Kate DiCamillo  now have more than one book.  These quirky friends like each other despite their differences and they have a good time together going on simple, enjoyable adventures.

Kenny and the Dragon by Tony DeTerlizzi is a lovely fantasy of a boy who meets a dragon.  Much to his surprise (he has heard stories about dragons all his life), the dragon is not mean and scary.  How is going to convince everyone that this dragon is not going to destroy their homes?

Edward Eager was my favorite author when I was young.  They may be still a read-aloud for many who are entering second grade, but what a great read aloud these books are.  All of them are great tales of simple magic that takes four siblings on adventures that carry them far from any possibility of boredom.  My favorite is still Half Magic, but you can't go wrong with any of Eager's book.

21 Fairmont Avenue by Tomi DePaola is the first in a collection of stories based on DePaola's life.  If his picture books about his childhood are popular, these are perfect for a second grader who is ready for a little more information and interesting stories, all accompanied with DePaola's familiar art.

My Father's Dragon by Ruth Stiles Gannett is another children's classic that appeals to children of today as much as it did when it was first published in 1948.  This first of the trilogy is the story of a boy saving a baby dragon who is being used by a bunch of wild animals as a ferry.

Clara Lee and the Apple Blossom Dream by Jenny Han brings a multi-cultural twist to the story of a little girl who wants to be her small town's Little Miss Apple Pie.  Can a Korean girl win this coveted title while still honoring her own culture?

Sadie and Ratz by Sonya Harnett tells of a little girl whose hands keep getting her in trouble, especially around her little brother.  She names those hands Sadie and Ratz so they can take the blame when things go wrong.  This is an early chapter book and a great way to start the summer reading.  Just thinking of this book makes me smile.  Parents will enjoy it as much or more than the young reader.

The Year of Billy Miller by Kevin Henkes is simply the story of the daily life of a young boy.  There is not heart racing peaks and valleys of activity but it is a charming story that would make a good read aloud for those who are just beginning to read chapter books.  More accomplished readers will enjoy it by themselves.

Toys Go Out by Emily Jenkins appeals to the child in me.  I love stories where toys come alive and the toys in this story are interesting things like a stingray, a buffalo, and a ball known as Plastic.  The format of being a collection of stories is also a good introduction to the joys of short stories and they are easy to read in a single setting.  There are more books in this series awaiting your eager reader.

Lady Lollipop and George Speaks by Dick King-Smith are two of his easier to read books. Lollipop is a pig that is presented to a very spoiled princess.  The pig and her dedicated swineherd help teach the princess some social graces.  George, in the other book, is a new born baby brother who swears his older sister to silence when he reveals that he can already talk and make some interesting comments about the world around him and the oddities of adults.

Ling and Ting:  Not Exactly the Same  by Grace Lin tells of identical twins who prove that they are not identical in all ways.  They are charming little girls so it is no surprise that there are more books about them.  The books are easier reads and good for readers who are not sure they really want to tackle a more difficult book.

Ruby Lu:  Brave and True by Lenore Look is different from other young girl stories because Ruby is Chinese-American who goes to Chinese school and deals with other cultural issues.  She is also a very typical young girl who deals with school, friendships, and other issues that will be familiar to everyone.

Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle by Betty MacDonald has long held a reputation for being a great read-aloud as well as a book that kids love to read and re-read.  Mrs.  Piggle-Wiggle is a sweet, grandmotherly woman who has a cure for common childhood ailments like bossiness or not be able to share.  There is enough fun in these stories that they never seem preachy.  Each chapter tells its own story about children who are cured of their ailments in a pleasant and funny manner.

Akimbo and the Elephants by Alexander McCall-Smith is just one of the books in this series about Akimbo, the son of a game warden in Kenya.  Akimbo wants to help his father which leads to some harrowing adventures as he battles to save animals. Yes, this is the same McCall-Smith who writes The Ladies Number One Detective Agency and other books for adults.

Tales for Very Picky Eaters by Josh Schneider is a beginning chapter book that details a father's attempts to get his son to try new foods.  Each new food option is more ridiculous than the one that came before.  I promise that parents will hear about the amazing ideas that are presented.  This is a very early chapter book.  If you have a picky eater in your family, this is an especially great read.

SOME SERIES THAT APPEAL TO THIS AGE

A-Z Mysteries and Calendar Mysteries by Rob Roy are good, short mysteries for newly independent readers.  There is enough mystery to keep the reader guessing while being short enough that they do not require a huge time commitment.  As you can guess by the series titles, there are several books available.

Andrew Lost  by  J. C. Greenberg is a series with a concept that will appeal to many readers.  Andrew creates a machine that accidentally shrinks him and his friend Judy down to an almost microscopic size.  Each, beginning with On the Dog, takes them on a new adventure.  The great part is the quantity of interesting scientific facts that are worked into the simple text and black and white illustrations.

The Bailey School Kids by Debbie Dadey find all kinds of creatures from aliens to witches behaving in amazing ways.  They are great fun.

Cam Janson by David Adler is a young girl detective with a knack for solving mysteries.  There are two levels of these books so an emergent reader can begin with the easier ones and then move easily into those for a more advanced reader.

Flat Stanley by Jeff Brown has grown to be a series so kids can keep following this the adventure of this happy young lad who was accidentally flattened until he is the thickness of a piece of paper.  What child doesn't want to imagine be a kite or getting mailed to visit relatives?

My America by Mary Pope Osborne is a series of historical fiction written in diary format.  This form appeals to many readers.  Some readers are less than trilled to read diaries, so don't push if that is the case.

Oliver Moon by Sue Mongredian tells the adventures of a young wizard in training.  The books are funny and exciting and quick reads for the budding wizard in your family.

Ready, Freddy by Abby Klein is about a typical boy doing typical boy things.  They are full of humor and some adventure.

Mercy Watson by Kate DiCamillo is a pig who is quite spoiled by her human family.  She may spend most of her time eating but that seems to help her be in the right place at the right time to solve problems, often problems she created.  The bright colored illustrations and large font make these chapter books that emergent readers can enjoy with little help from adults.

Geronimo Stilton by "Geronimo Stilton" appeals to many readers in no small part because of the bright illustrations and the fun that is had with text fonts.  They are also funny and filled with adventures.

NON-FICTION

Who Was.../Who Is... biographies by various authors  offer just the right amount of information and readable life story to keep kids coming back for more.  There are now 100 of these and I could keep most of them in circulation most of the time.  The kids I work with started with familiar people and were soon reading about people that were totally new to them just because they discovered a love of biographies.  Many of these readers then moved on to other biographies.

Usbourne Beginners offer a wide range of non-fiction topics with lots of bright photos and illustrations, solid information, and interesting side-bars/ They are perfect for someone just discovering the many joys of reading for information.

Poetry may also be a good choice for reading that seems easy but is filled with meaning and challenges.  Everyone loves Shel Silverstein and Jack Prelutsky, but don't miss others who are less well known like Douglas Florian, J. Patrick Lewis, and science related poetry of Joyce Sidman.  Explore the poetry section for more good reads.

Other non-fiction areas that are great for developing an interest in reading include, but are clearly not limited to, cookbooks, crafting books, and folk and fairy tales.

Finally, National Geographic's Weird But True series is appealing to all ages with bright illustrations and photographs to go with little known facts about just about everything.  They are generally one fact per page, making them great for travel and bathroom reading as well as for quizzing parents and siblings.

Architecture for Everyone

There are so many young people with the dream of building exciting buildings.  Whether it is a tent made out of blankets, a building created with toilet paper rolls, Legos and building blocks taken to towering heights, or some other magnificent structure, there are myriad reasons to encourage such activities whenever possible. 

I was inspired to think about this and post this today when I found this interesting lists of 15 Adorable Children's Books Featuring Architecture..  It is a great list, but I can't resist adding just a few more books that I like.

Everyday Structures from A to Z by Bobbie Kalman is an alphabet of interesting ways of looking at structures, constructions, shapes, and styles.  I am not always thrilled with the questions that the author chooses to ask, but they are good jumping off points for discussions between you and your child or the reader can skip through them to find ones that are interesting.  This book could be enjoyed by Kindergarten and first graders with some parental help and by those up about grade five as a starting point for learning more about structures.

As suggested in the on-line list above, the books of David Macaulay are amazing insider views of great constructions from Castles and Pyramids to Cathedrals and Mosques.  He has a newer series for younger readers, but the beloved ones are what will capture middle grade students to adults with their detail and wealth of information.  If you find his book called Built to Last, you will get Castle, Cathedral, and Mosque all in one volume.

If you want an exciting story of the brave folks who actual build the skyscrapers, offer your middle grade to middle school aspiring architect Skywalkers:  Mohawk Ironworkers Build the City by David Weitzman  looks at the long connection between the Mohawk people and construction by first looking at the construction of the longhouses that were built in what is now upstate New York perhaps as long as 4,000 years ago.  Most of the book, however, concerns how the Mohawk people have been involved with so much modern construction, risking their lives as they create the iron structures that take skyscrapers reaching for the clouds.

Picture-book-reading builders will enjoy Monkey with a Toolbelt by Chris Monroe as they marvel at the real and pun-created tools in his belt and the creative ways he puts them to use to help friends and escape danger.  This is an imagination sparking joy for kindergarten and up.

For space age style creations, spark imagination with Marveltown by Bruce McCall.  Marveltown is a city created by inventors and filled with things like a Skyway held up by invisible ion rays and opportunities to go rocket-jumping by moonlight or fishing from a mile-high tower.  No wonder all the kids who live there are inspired to make their own inventions like a rocket chair, a machine to eat homework,  or a rug especially created to trip school bullies.  When things go very wrong in this placid town, it is the inventions of the kids that help to save the day.  This picture book will appeal to kindergarten and up.

Henry Builds a Cabin  by D. B. Johnson goes back in time with a story inspired by the life and writings of Henry David Thoreau.  The Henry in the book is a bear who is shown designing his house and then building it from chopping and shaping the logs to notching beams and fitting them into place.  His neighbors think the house is too small, but Henry knows where he wants his priorities and for him the great outdoors serve as most of his rooms so his house doesn't need to be very big.  This picture book will appeal to grades two and up as well as to anyone who as an interest in Thoreau.

Don't stop here.  Check out craft books which will inspire creations.  Cookbooks, too, are often about building edible creations that are more than a couple of layers with icing. (The Secret Life of Food by Clare Crespo is one cookbook that comes quickly to mind in this category.)   In fact, true inspiration can be found almost anywhere.  Read a little then gather supplies and start building.  Have fun.
 

Just Duckie!

If you travel down the nearest major street to my home, you will pass houses with a man-made small lake (pond) behind them.  In front of one of the houses on the other side of the street is a sign that says "Duck Crossing".  That sign was the inspiration for the stories and activities  shared in kindergarten and first grade this week.  (I am happy to report that every time ducks are crossing to the house that feeds them, the traffic on the street always stops.  Only once have I heard as much as a car horn.) 

The Ks and first grade did the obvious like singing "Six Little Ducks That I Once Knew" and reciting "Five Little Ducks Went Out to Play".  They colored ducks that we could then attach to a craft stick for simple puppet.  You should have seen the ducks.  They were beautiful and creative.  One boy spent a long time carefully coloring concentric circles in bright colors and then rays of other colors to complete his duck.  He named it "Radiated Duck."

It amazed me how many picture books we had about ducks--so many that I could not possible share them all.

The natural first choice for duck stories is the classic, Caldecott Award winning, Make Way for Ducklings by Robert McCloskey.  It was first published in 1941 and is still a lovely and much loved story.  I did not get to know Boston until my daughter moved there for graduate school, but I immediately recognized the Public Gardens from the many times I saw it when I read this book over and over.  The cars and the police uniforms may have changed but the swan boats are still there.  Of course, now there is also the row of duck statues for Jack, Kack, Lack, Mack, Nack, Oack, Pack, Quack, and Mrs. Mallard.  If you are going to Boston, be sure to read (or re-read) this story so you can fully enjoy seeing the Charles River and other sights of the city.

Bringing memories of the illustrations of Make Way for Ducklings  to a new story is just part of the charm of Lucky Ducklings by Eva Moore.  It gives a happy ending to the story we hear all too often of ducklings that fall through the grate on the city drainage system.  Thanks to clear thinking humans the ducks are saved after their fall and reunited with their mother who insists that she has to lead them across the street...this time with help.

Outfoxed by Mike Twohy has great illustrations and a story that is guaranteed to get laughs from kids and adults.  Fox raids the hen house at great peril to himself only to find that he has actually gotten a duck when his heart was set on a chicken dinner.  He is willing to settle until the duck announces with a wag of its tail and a slobbering lick to fox's face that he is actually a dog.  For the rest of that evening the duck does all kinds of dog like things--from lots of jumping and licking to  barking and looking adorable.  That night he even sleeps with fox.  Alas, in the morning, fox decides that the darling duck/dog needs to go back to the far because a fox does not keep a pet.  Duck/dog cries pitifully but fox throws him over the farm fence, anyway.  Has fox made a mistake?  The twist at the end will answer that question.

Patricia Polacco writes so many well known books that sometimes others are overlooked.  One of those is John Philip Duck which tells the story of the little boy that brings his pet duck to work at the
Peabody Hotel in Memphis and that duck grows up to be one of the ducks that daily ride the elevator down to the main lobby swim in the fountain, under the guidance of the Duck Master, a job first given to the young boy who started the tradition.  The story has just the right balance of tension and charm along with its historical accuracies.

Duck to the Rescue continues the series by John Himmelman, however, unlike cows, pigs, and chickens, duck does not seem to be able to get anything quite right.  Sheep has the perfect solution.  This is a series loved by the kids as they love to chant, "Duck (or whoever the animal of the book is) to the Rescue!" every third page and then see what happens next.

Guji, Guji by Chih-Yuan Chen can be a very deep story if you want to make it that.  It is all about making choices about who you are and who your family is.  Of course, the kids just want to see what this crocodile hatched into a duck family does after meeting his bad crocodile cousins.  He is one smart crocoduck.  The illustrations are especially quirky and charming.

There are myriad other duck stories.  Look for titles by Jez Alborough, Doreen Cronin, Jackie Urbanovic and more.  Let me know what makes you feel just duckie.

Note Emerson students:  Lucky Duckies will be back at Emerson after break.  See if you can win a little duck by checking out a book that is checked out Lucky Duckie.
 

NPR's 100 Must Reads for Kids

You may have recently heard or seen the list that NPR has created of the 100 Must-Reads for Kids 9-14.  (It was one of their most shared stories last week--many of them coming to me from friends and other sources.)  I have read it several times now and want to say that I think it is a great list and then add the caveat that so many others noted in the comments.  Nine to fourteen is a huge age range and some of these books are clearly at the top of this range while others skim the lower reaches.  Look on a library catalog (such as Emerson School's catalog which can be found in the library section which is under  of the school website) or even Amazon or the like.  (Amazon is great for information gathering but whenever it is possible I will argue for shopping at your local bookstore because bookstores are worth saving.)

That said, there is one choice of best books that I feel needs a comment.  Please, if you are going to read The Little House Books by Laura Ingalls Wilder,  be sure to balance those stories with The Birchbark House by Louise Erdrich  along with the others in the trilogy.  (You will find The Birchbark House on the NPR list, too.)  Erdrich's children's books are often compared to Wilder's books as they describe daily life for an Ojibwas family in about the same time and place.   They add balance to the often stereotypical and negative images of Native Americans that Wilder includes in her books.  I understand that Wilder was writing in a certain time and of her childhood memories.  There is much to be said for these books that are classics for good reason.  However, I cringe at the thought of young people still harboring these biases in today's world.  (Full disclosure here--I never have particularly enjoyed the Little House books, not even as a young girl growing up in the foothills of Montana. Or perhaps I was a young girl growing up in the middle of nowhere.  Almost everyone I have ever discussed these books with has had a very different impression, even women who grew up in the rural West.)

 I want to applaud a few of the titles from this list that I think are outstanding and often overlooked.

A Long Way From Chicago by Richard Peck is something of a hard sell in my library but if you want a good chuckle combined with historical insight and a heartwarming family, it would be hard to find a better book than this one.  I would suggest grades four and up as the best audience to enjoy one of the quirkiest grandmothers in children's literature.

Esperanza Rising by Pam Munoz Ryan offers up both cultural and socio-economic differences in a touching story that will be enjoyed by grades 4-7 or so.

The One and Only Ivan by Katherine Applegate  won this year's Newbery award.  I was skeptical about it when I read the descriptions and probably would have been a little put off by the description given on this list, but I promise you that it is much better than any description I have seen and is very worthy of the award.  Grades 4-7 are good for this one.

Mr. Popper's Penguins by Richard and Florence Atwater is a classic for a reason.  Don't think that seeing the movie means you have any idea of how wonderful this book is.  Anyone of any age will enjoy this book.

The Cricket in Times Square by George Selden falls into the classic category, too, and is a story that has passed the test of time for good reason.  Be sure to find a copy that gives ample recognition to the wonderful illustrations by Garth Williams (whose work you will also find in other classics such as Charlotte's Web and Little House on the Prairie).

Half Magic by Edward Eager was one of my favorite books as a child and started me on the grand adventure of reading fantasy.  Read all of the books in the series. These are great for reading aloud at any age and many second graders can tackle them alone.

The Borrowers by Mary Norton left me incapable of ever looking at little things ribbons, toys, nuts, and such without wondering how a tiny person would put it to use.  I am going to say their readership begins at about grade three.  (As [almost] always, they are better than the movie or the Disney books of the same title.)

The Watsons Go to Birmingham--1963 by Christopher Paul Curtis should be required reading for everyone--no I would never really require everyone to read any given book, but that is how highly I regard this novel of family, the realities of racial relations, and a big slice of American history. There are some harsh scenes of racial conflict but there are also some amazing scenes of family love and humor, all of which are appropriate for grades four and up.

One Crazy Summer by Rita Williams Garcia also has themes of family and racial tensions and a good dose of humor though it is very different from that of the Watsons.  I think people, especially girls, will enjoy this most beginning in grade five.

The Last of the Really Great Whangdoodles by Julie Edwards is a book that kids come across years after it was read to them in first or second grade to tell me that it was the best book they ever heard and then they read it again and confirm that they still love it.  Yes, Julie Edwards is better known as the Julie Andrews who sang her way into the hearts of millions as Mary Poppins and Maria Von Trapp.

Where the Mountain Meets the Moon by Grace Lin is simply beautiful.  Don't miss it if you are in grade three or above.

Inside Out and Back Again  by Thanhha Lai is so much more than poetry.  It is a beautiful story of a girl finding her way without losing her roots.  I suggest it for grades five and up.

The House of the Scorpion by Nancy Farmer is for middle school and up as it is a harsh, almost too real-sounding dystopian novel that may be the best of this genre that I have ever read.  A sequel is set to come out in September of this year.   Nancy Farmer has many other books that should not be missed.  The Warm Place is for slightly younger readers, grade three or four and up, but the rest are really aimed at older readers.

The 21 Balloons by William Pene DuBois is another classic that seems dated at times but is a rollicking good story that will win readers in grades three and up in a vary short time. I have fond memories of reading it with my children and having take many breaks to laugh or to think about some of the wild ideas that make this story so unique.






 

SOME SUGGESTIONS FOR MIDDLE SCHOOL READERS

Middle School students may be closer to the same reading levels than they were in first or second grade, but their maturity and interests vary greatly.  This list is one that should be regarded as having the potential to please everyone but it is almost certain that not every title will be appropriate or appealing to everyone.  

Where the Streets Had a Name by Randa Abdel Fattah is told through the eyes of a young Palestinian girl who must travel through Israeli territory to help her grandmother.  

The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Universe by Douglas Adams  and its many sequels has become a classic of science-fiction and humor.

Watership Down by Richard Adams resonated with me when I read it because it is far more than just a story of rabbits who need to find a new home.

The Absolutely True Diary of a Part Time Indian by Sherman Alexie faces many of the problems of every young man with the added conflict of having to live in two worlds--that of the reservation which is home to his family and his heritage and that of the white high school that recruits him to play basketball.  The cartoon drawings in the book help to add  humor and understanding to a difficult life.  Warning:  The story is very frank about what young men deal with as they mature, including sexual issues.  Sherman Alexie gets mixed reviews from people who care about Native American stories and may be offensive to some people on that level.  That said, it is an interesting story that will move and motivate many readers.

City of the Beast by Isabel Allende  (and two others in the series) follows a young boy as he joins his grandmother on an expedition in the Amazon.  There is a good mix of magic and reality in this book by a highly respect Latin American author.

Before We Were Free by Julia Alvarez is based on the author's experiences growing up in the Dominican Republic under the harsh dictatorship of the time.

Chains;, Fever, 1793; and Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson perhaps seem at first glance to have little in common besides having the same author. The other tie that quickly becomes evident is the outstanding storytelling.  The first two of these are historical--the first about free African Americans living in the American Colonies at the time of the Revolution and the second is about the yellow fever epidemic in Philadelphia. Both will hold interest to the last page.  A parent of a daughter told me a few years ago that she wished her daughter and every 8th grade girl would read Speak before entering high school.  It tells of a young girl who goes to a party in that summer between 8th and 9th grade where something so terrible happens that she quits talking.  Her story is slowly, often painfully, revealed in a manner that warns girls of what could happen in a seemingly innocent setting--both in what happens to the main character and in how easily her friends are able and willing to mistreat her.

Wonder Show by Hannah Barnaby is also about a girl who is mistreated, but this time the setting is much less common.  She leaves an orphanage to join a circus wonder show.  Needless to say there are many odd characters.  This book is tough to read at times with its stories of child abuse. It is also moving and an interesting window into circus life.

My Life With the Lincolns by Gayle Brandeis offers some lighter reading as a girl living in Chicago in the 1960s grow to believe that her family is the reincarnation of the family of Abe Lincoln (her father's initials are A.B.E. for one thing) and decides she has to protect her father from Lincoln's fate.  Her father is very involved with the Civil Rights movement and she gets dragged along to much of the activity, too.

Ask Me No Questions by Marina Budhos is the story of a Muslim girl whose family is illegally in the United States and how they work to be legal and safe and accepted.

Playground by 50 Cents surprised me as I usually don't have high expectations for children's books written by celebrities.  This novel by a rapper is well written and poignant as it talks of a young boy trying to fit in with the crowd while struggling to understand his parents.

Elijah of Buxton by Christopher Paul Curtis is my favorite of all of Curtis' books.  It is also written for older readers than the popular Watston's Go to Birmingham--1963 and Bud, Not Buddy.  This book takes us to Canada and the first town specifically built for escaped slaves from the United States.  Elijah is the first child to be born there so he does not understand slavery until he travels to Detroit and sees the reality of it.  As with every Curtis book, the story has plenty of humor along with strong historical information.

Toby Alone by Timothee de Fombelle will be an easy reader for many middle school students but this interesting adventure of a small boy for whom a tree is the totality of his universe carries a big environmental impact that will be enjoyed and pondered long after the last page.

The London Eye Mystery by Siobhan Dowd weaves a mystery around a missing cousin who comes to visit.  Only the boy dealing with life on the autism spectrum has the kind of thinking skills to find a solution.

Out of My Mind by Sharon Draper will change the way you look at people with severe disabilities.  It is all too easy and common to think of someone who can not speak or control their muscles as somehow mentally inferior.  The narrator of this story knows that first hand because she has dealt with cerebral palsy her entire life.  A text to speech machine lets her prove how much she knows and can do but may not be enough to help her make friends.

The House of the Scorpion by Nancy Farmer takes dystopian novels to a high level.  Set in a land between Mexico and the United States that is run by a cruel dictator who expects that cloning will keep him alive with harvested organs, this is the story of one of the clones.  It is powerful storytelling.

Better Nate Than Ever by Tim Federle made me laugh out loud.  Middle Schooler Nate travels alone from rural Pennsylvania to New York City to live his dream of auditioning for a Broadway show.  His small town reactions to the big city are perfect as are the descriptions of stage parents.

The Big Splash and Sidekicks by Jack D. Ferraiolo are lighthearted looks at almost typical life.  The Big Splash  is what the students in one middle school calls a practice of  carefully directing water balloons at classmates to help make clear their standing in the social pecking order.  Sidekicks  reveals some of the difficulties of being an adolescent super hero, from the perils of wearing tights to developing  a crush on your arch-enemy who somehow turns out to be a girl.

Dead End in Norvelt by Jack Gantos is based on the author's childhood in the actual town of Norvelt, a city with an interesting history of its own.  The story is filled with interesting characters, typical pre-teen angst, and some surprises.  It won the Newbery Award.

The  Princess Bride by William Goldman did not cross my path until I was an adult but its humor and adventure is perfect for middle school readers, too.

The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Nighttime by Mark Haddon was written for adults but soon became popular with young adult readers.  The narrator experiences life through the view of a high functioning autistic teen who uses math to explain much of what he sees and hears.  This situation can make life confusing and difficult but it also helps him solve a mystery.

Project Sweet Life by Brent Hartinger features a group of boys willing to work hard to avoid having to work over one of the last sweet summers of high school.  Humor builds as every project they devise to keep them out of the workforce leads to new problems.

The Saint of Dragons by Jason Hightman uses a rather familiar plot of a boy discovering his magical powers to take the reader on a high adventure with dragons and prophecy and unexpected developments.  There is a sequel, too.

I Am a Genius of Unspeakable Evil and I Want to Be Your Class President by Josh Leib is maybe best explained by noting that the its author is a producer of the Daily Show with Jon Stewart and worked for the Simpsons TV show.  It is non-stop sarcastic humor about a friendless boy who is willing to go to any lengths to buy votes in a school election.  Luckily, he has been financially wheeling and dealing long enough and well enough to have plenty of money to spend.

The Gods of Manhattan by Scott Mobus  creates an alternative world in New York City that includes famous figures who have played a part in the history of the city.  It has high adventure while introducing myriad characters, historical and fictional.

Un Lun Dun by China Mieville takes the reader to alternative version of famous cities of the world.  Un Lun Dun is almost like London but not really.

Monster by Walter Dean Myer is not for the faint of heart.  It is the powerful story of a young African American boy who is about to go on trial for robbery and murder.  He keeps going over the crime, both in a movie he is directing in his mind and in his journal, and can not be confident that he is innocent or was unintentionally somehow responsible.  This is a very powerful look at jails, the court system, and life in a tough neighborhood.

A Step From Heaven by An Na is deceptively brief  and easy to read.  The story is not easy, however, as it tells of a girl moving from Korea with her dysfunctional family and trying to adapt to life in the United States.

This Dark Endeavor and Half Brother by Kenneth Oppel show the talent and diversity of this author who visited Emerson a few years ago.  This Dark Endeavor  is the author's imagining of what happened to the Frankenstein brothers before the more famous story.  It is has mystery, love, magic, and events that make it a true work of horror.  Half Brother  has horror of another kind--the horror a boy feels first when is life is torn apart when the family "adopts" a chimpanzee to be his little brother for research purposes and again when they take that brother away.

Life As We Know It; The Dead and the Gone; and This World We Live In  by Susan Beth Pfeffer imagine a world thrown into chaos when the moon is knocked out of its orbit. The first book tells the story through the eyes of a teen girl in rural Pennsylvania.   The second takes us to New York City and the event as it affects a young man, and the third is both of their stories.  

Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs uses old photographs that the author discovered in antique shops and at flea markets to create the characters who inhabit this peculiar home and haunt the boy who sets out to discover how they are a part of his grandfather's life.

Between Shades of Gray by Ruta Sepetys is a powerful story of a Lithuanian family who is exiled to Siberia by Stalin.  I recently convinced one of my adult book clubs to read this.  They enjoyed the experience.

Scrawl by Mark Shulman is written as a journal required in a high school detention setting.  I confess that I am partial to journals and letters and such, so maybe not everyone will find it as interesting, moving, and enjoyable as I did.

The Schwa Was Here My Neal Shusterman was my first introduction to this author who remembers the ups and downs of social situations in middle and high school much the same way I do.  I liked the idea of someone being so bland that he was invisible and then others putting that talent to good use.

Runaway and The Running Dream by Wendelin Van Draanen are both about girls running.  Runaway is the journal of a girl who runs away from home and tells of her experiences living on the streets and struggling just to get a meal and a place to sleep.  The Running Dream tells the story of a girl who was a champion runner until a tragic accident takes her legs.  She must learn to be strong for herself and so she can help others.

The Thirteenth Child by Patricia C. Wrede melds the history of the Westward Expansion with magic in intriguing ways that will probably lead the reader directly to the sequel.

GRAPHIC WORKS

Recently a co-worker and I were supposed to present a discussion of using graphic novels and non-fiction to teach diversity and justice.  Unfortunately, our presentation was cancelled due to lack of participants in the workshop, but I am not about to let my annotated bibliography go to waste so I will present it here.

My people are a bit put off by graphic works, viewing them as too simplistic or silly.  Perhaps people are remembering the many hours that they spent illicitly reading comic books by Marvel and the like under the blankets after being told to go to sleep.  Such memories are generally too pleasant to have possibly been good for a growing mind.  Recent research seems to be pointing to the opposite being true.  There are strong suggestions that reading a work in graphic format actually increases the ability to remember it.  I don't know if this is true, but I do know that graphic works open up worlds to kids that they might otherwise never enter.  Many of the students who use my library gravitate to the graphic works as a jumping off point to reading more traditional formats.

Don't write off these works until you have had a chance to read them and, perhaps, witnessed a young person reading them.  Graphic works have a lot to offer.  Start with some from this list and then go on to read more.  They are addictive.  (P.S.  They are not just for kids anymore either.  More and more adult level graphic works are being published, especially memoires.)


FICTION

Hereville: How Mirka Got Her Sword and Hereville: How Mirka Met a Meteorite by Barry Deutsch—Grades 4-7   This book will capture readers so completely with trolls and magic and adventure that they will not realize how much they are learning about and appreciating Orthodox Judaism and its customs. Mirka wants to fight trolls and dabble in magic but she does not want to forget the meaningful traditions of her faith. This is a good way to look at communities that we may not understand while discussing religion, self-identity, and women’s rights.

Sticky Burr: Adventures in Burrwood Forest by John Lechner –Grades 1-4   This carries an overt
anti-bullying message along with a story of crazy adventure and some facts (and plenty of imagined
information) about burrs. Toss in a generous dose of humor and kids will find that this book sticks to
them like a burr to wild dog.

Take What You Can Carry by Kevin C. Pyle—Grades 7 and up   In 1978, Kyle, a troubled teen, can only take what he can carry when he shoplifts from a convenience store. In 1941, Ken and 110,00 other Japanese Americans sent to internment camps were instructed to only take what they can carry. These two stories are told side by side unit as it gradually becomes evident that Kyle is stealing from Ken. This novel offers both history and compassion.

Satchel Paige: Striking Out Jim Crow by James Sturm and Rich Tommaso—Grades 5 and up   It is not easy to separate fact from fiction in this story of a young man who hopes to follow Satchel Paige into the Negro League. Emmet, the narrator, tries out against Paige in 1929 but suffers an injury that keeps him back home as a sharecropper but always following baseball and his heroes. There are short updates of his life and world affairs until on September 2, 1944, when Satchel Paige and the All-Stars play against the local all-white team of the Tuckwilla All-Stars. With all the excitement of a good baseball game, readers learn about Jim Crow, standing up for your rights, and pride in one’s actions in this powerful story.

The Arrival by Shaun Tan—Grades 7 and up  My co-worker and top-notch 7th grade teacher, Beth Nazario, uses this wordless book to teach writing along with helping students experience what it means to be an immigrant.  The students write about what they are reading and imagine themselves being one of the un-named immigrants depicted inside the front cover.  After much discussion and introspection, the students each experience an imaginary interview with a customs officer who does not speak English.  Older students or adults who are fluent in another language interviews the student with typical questions.  The experience is often quite powerful.  Even without this in-depth study, this is a powerful book.

Lost and Found by Shaun Tan—All Ages   It takes a more sophisticated reading and guidance to get all of the nuances of the short graphic stories in this collection which will be enjoyed by all ages for their quirky humor. For discussing the reception to immigrants (“the immigrant problem”) my choice would be to read and discuss “The Rabbits” (words by John Marsden). It resonates especially if you have seen the documentary movie “Rabbit Proof Fence” which also comes from Australia.

Drama by Raina Telgemeier—Grades 6-9 This novel won a Stonewall Honor Book Award in January 2013 for its balanced portrayal of gays in a middle school setting. The story follows members of a drama department in their budget strapped production of a musical. The protagonist, Callie, is the set designer who dreams big both for the production and for finally finding a meaningful relationship. Will one of the two cute boys be the answer to her dreams? She deals with declarations of sexual orientation in a way that seems very realistic and appropriate.

WORLD FOLKLORE

Trickster: Native American Tales: A Graphic Collection edited by Matt Dembicki—Grades 5 and up   Dembicki sent requests throughout North America to find Native American storytellers willing to tell their traditional stories and let noted graphic artists illustrate them. The tellers selected the illustrator who they thought would best fit their story. Everyone loves a good trickster tale, making this book an especially good introduction to Native American folklore. Whether you are selecting based on the graphics, the moral, the humor, or the adventure, you are sure to find several here that will be appealing.

The Shark King by R. Kikuo Johnson—Grades 1-5   First and foremost, this is an intriguing telling of the Hawaiian tale of Nanaue. It is also simple enough for emergent readers while engaging enough to keep older readers interested until the final page. Nanaue is the son of a mortal woman and the shark king.  His father disappears before his birth, leaving a cape and instructions that his son will need it. Parental separation is one topic dealt with in the book, but more intense is its discussion of bullying and survival.

The Legend of Hong Kil Dong: The Robin Hood of Korea by Anne Sibley O’Brien—Grades 3-6 Folktales from Korea are not in abundance so you will want to give this award winning graphic novel a try for many reasons. First of all it tells a story little known in this part of the world. Add to that the
comparison to the European Robin Hood and then top it off with the colorful illustrations and you have an enjoyable way to dig deeper into the culture of Korea.

NON-FICTION

Little White Duck: A Childhood in China by Na Liu and Andres Vera Martinez—Grades 4-7 China in the 1970s was in flux so being a child in that time and place could not have been easy. The eight short stories in this collection are based on the author’s life and give a unique glimpse into life in China before and after the death of Chairman Mao. The text and illustrations provide a glimpse not only into the life of the author, but also the history of China and the wealth and beauty of traditional Chinese teachings.

Best Shot in the West: The Adventures of Nat Love by Patricia C. McKissack and Fredrick L. McKissack, Jr. Illustrated by Randy DuBurke—Grades 4 and up   This biography uses the writings of Nat Love to follow his life from his 1854 birth into slavery through his life as the most famous African-American cowboy in the Old West. He knew such luminaries as Bat Masterson and Billy the Kid, was well known for his skills in roping, shooting, and roping, and was a real character of the time. Love published his autobiography in 1907; his words are mixed with a little bit of creative fiction to make a compelling read.

Around the World by Matt Phelan—Grades 4 – 8    Phelan is an award winning graphic novelist and historical fiction writer who has turned to the true tales three daring adventurers of the nineteenth
century who circumnavigated the globe in ways never seen before. Former miner Thomas Stevens rode his bicycle around the world in 1884 when bikes still had that amazing big wheel in the front; reporter Nellie Bly only needed 80 days in 1889 for her trip; and retired sea captain quietly set sail in a small sloop in 1895 and became the first person to sail around the world alone. This stories encourage bravery, creativity, endurance, and the power of both sexes to do the impossible.

Smile by Raina Telgemeier—Grades 5 and up   Here is a memoir that will resonate with tweens and
teens. When Raina was about to start Middle School, she fell and damaged her two front teeth. To fix
this dental nightmare required that she experience surgery, implants, and most embarrassingly for a
girl trying to fit in with the cool kids, headgear and false teeth. Use this book to begin discussions about disability, bullying, or just trying to fit in when you are obviously very different looking.