Troublemaker by Andrew Clements

Do you think the saying is true, once a troublemaker, always a troublemaker?

Clayton, 6^th grader at Truman Elementary School is always getting into trouble. And he thinks it is funny. The more he gets in the trouble the happier he is. The most recent incident that has brought him to the principal’s office is a portrait that he has drawn of the principal as a donkey or jackass. Clayton wants to be just like his big brother Mitchell, who had a huge reputation at school for being a troublemaker. But as the story unfolds Mitchell has come home after spending some time in jail for some serious trouble. While Clayton wants to follow in his brother’s footsteps, Mitchell has different plans for his younger brother. He has come to the understanding that being a troublemaker is the wrong path to choose in life. Mitchell now understands the difference between good and bad behavior and how making the right choices in life are very important.  Now he must make his younger brother, Clayton, understand this too. But it isn’t easy.

Troublemaker by award winning author Andrew Clements is another popular story about real life with actual situations and authentic characters that children can relate to. He is also the author of the very popular book, Frindle, as well as Extra Credit, Lost and Found, No Talking, Room One, Lunch Money and many more. Mr. Clements taught in the public schools near Chicago for seven years before moving East to begin a career in publishing and writing. He lives with his wife in central Massachusetts and has four grown children. 

I believe this is a book that every principal should have in his/her office to hand out to kids who've lost their way. Troublemaker is a wonderful story and  a very empowering book for troubled kids. It is not only a story for troublemakers but for those kids who know troublemakers. Recommended reading for grades 4-6^th.

Check out his website at: http://www.andrewclements.com

Sardoodledom

Sardoodledom by Krishna Dalal

How do you say sardoodledom? Can you spell it? Sardoodledom, definition means overly dramatic, almost unbelievable. I didn’t even know this word existed until I picked up this adorable picture book called Sardoodledom: A Spelling Bee Tale by local author Krishna Dalal.

This sweet little book with wonderful illustrations is a story about an annual elementary spelling bee. It takes place in the auditorium of Jefferson Elementary School. The students, Chloe, Ryan, Juan and Hannah, are the main characters that are participating in the annual spelling bee. But this really isn’t an ordinary spelling bee, because it is all about a play on words. The students use homophones, oxymorons, palindromes, rhymes and knock knock jokes to spell or define their words. Because of the fabulous play on words, this isn’t just a story for children but one for tweens, teens and adults too, especially if you ever participated in a spelling bee. Not only will readers learn some new words, but learn that spelling bees can actually be lots of fun, full of excitement or even complete sardoodledom. Of course the story isn’t a story until a surprise character comes along and puts in a sting into the plot. But you have to read it to find out what happens.

I found this story to be wildly creative. The author was very creative in using word plays with the spelling words to make this story very unique. The illustrations are very whimsical and the illustrator did a wonderful job creating characters with their adorable personalities.

Sardoodledom can be a great read-aloud because it really engages students and provides for many teachable moments. I would even recommend using this story in a classroom.  This is a great book for children ages 6-10 (but of course it can be read to younger ones as well with some explanation of the terms.)

You can find this fabulous book at Amazon or Barnes and Noble online.

This is definitely a must for any library, home or school. I hope to see more from this new and imaginative author.

Banned Book Week (Sept. 24-Oct. 1st)

Did you know it was Banned Book Week? Go out and find a book that has been banned or put on the challenged list. Go ahead read it and you decide for yourself if this book should be banned. Celebrate the freedom to read!!

According to the American Library Association, there were 348 challenges reported to the Office of Intellectual Freedom in 2010, and many more go unreported.

The 10 most challenged titles of 2010 were:
And Tango Makes Three, by Peter Parnell and Justin Richardson
Reasons: homosexuality, religious viewpoint, unsuited to age group
The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian, by Sherman Alexie
Reasons: offensive language, racism, religious viewpoint, sex education, sexually explicit, violence, unsuited to age group
Brave New World, by Aldous Huxley
Reasons: insensitivity, offensive language, racism, sexually explicit
Crank, by Ellen Hopkins
Reasons: drugs, offensive language, racism, sexually explicit
The Hunger Games (series), by Suzanne Collins
Reasons: sexually explicit, violence, unsuited to age group
Lush, by Natasha Friend
Reasons: drugs, sexually explicit, offensive language, unsuited to age group
What My Mother Doesn't Know, by Sonya Sones
Reasons: sexism, sexually explicit, unsuited to age group
Nickel and Dimed: On (Not) Getting by in America, by Barbara Ehrenreich
Reasons: drugs, inaccurate, offensive language, political viewpoint, religious viewpoint
Revolutionary Voices edited by Amy Sonnie
Reasons: homosexuality, sexually explicit
Twilight (series), by Stephenie Meyer
Reasons: sexually explicit, religious viewpoint, violence, unsuited to age group

During the last week of September every year, hundreds of libraries and bookstores around the country draw attention to the problem of censorship by mounting displays of challenged books and hosting a variety of events. The 2011 celebration of Banned Books Week will be held from September 24 through October 1. Banned Books Week is the only national celebration of the freedom to read. It was launched in 1982 in response to a sudden surge in the number of challenges to books in schools, bookstores and libraries. More than 11,000 books have been challenged since 1982. For more information on Banned Books Week, click here

The Astonishing Secret of Awesome Man by Michael Chabon

Do you have a little boy who loves superheroes? Or who wants to be a superhero? Michael Chabon, best selling author and Pulitzer prize winning author has just published one of the best picture books yet on superheroes, called The Astonishing Secret of Awesome Man with Moskowitz the Awesome Dog. Not only is the story packed with lots of punches, the illustrations by Jake Parker are just spectacular.

The story begins with awesome man having a secret. He can shoot positronic rays out of his eyeballs, fly straight as an arrow and hug mutant Jell-O. His cape is as red as a rocket and his mask black as midnight. Not to mention he has an awesome letter “A” on his chest. But who is this man? In his own words, he is basically awesome.

The story and illustrations are brilliant, it looks like a 21^st century comic book with brightly colored computer formed illustrations that literally want to pop off the page. This is a fabulous fantasy book for kids and adults, really! Hopefully we will see more from Michael Chabon and Awesome Man.

The Mailbox

The Mailbox by Audrey Shafer

This is not your ordinary teen read. It is one full of beautiful writing, substance and deals with several serious topics; war, the foster system, and the life of veterans. This is a very touching and emotional story that shows us how people can save each other. Ages 12 and up.

12 year-old Gabe is lucky to live with his Uncle Vernon after spending many miserable years in the foster care system. He grows to love his grumpy old Uncle until one day he comes home to realize he has died. His body is left laying on the floor and Gabe doesn’t know what to do or who to call. He goes to bed distraught only to find the next morning that the body is gone, disappeared. Gabe goes about his business keeping the secret that Uncle Vernon has died, trying to take care of himself, clean the house and go to the store for groceries. He knows this is what his Uncle would want him to do. But suddenly he is receiving strange notes in his mailbox from a secret friend. The story continues with exchanges from this friend that Gabe believes to be his “fairy godmother”. Gabe is a wonderful character and this is really a very touching story about life and love. This could be a great read-aloud because it could lead to some great life discussions. A great recommendation for 6^th grade and up. 

Two great classics!

The Phantom Tollboth by Norton Juster

The Phantom Tollboth is a wonderful classic that was first published in 1961. It is one of those stories that can be either a read alone or read aloud. And it is also just as much of an adult book as it is a children’s book because of the author's play on words.

The story begins with Milo, our main character, who comes home from school to find a very large package waiting for him, which happens to be a magic tollboth. This tollbooth transports him away to the kingdom of wisdom. It is in the kingdom of wisdom that he learns he must restore order by finding two important people, rhyme and reason. The many adventures help Milo to understand the power of words, books and the importance of learning and knowledge. Something that we all can be reminded of as well. 

The Cricket in Times Square by George Selden

The Cricket in Times Square a very sweet story about three friends, a cricket, a cat and a mouse and their many adventures in New York City. This 1961 Newbery honor book, first published in 1960, is a classic that can also be read alone or as a read aloud to children ages 9 and up. The story begins with a young boy Mario who tends to his parents news stand near the train station. The news stand is failing financially but when Mario finds the cricket he begs to keep it as a pet because he believes that crickets bring good luck and that is exactly what his family needs. With some ambivalence his mother allows him to keep the cricket but only at the news stand, it cannot come home and thus the friendship begins between Mario and Chester. The cricket also becomes fast friends with Tucker the mouse and Harry the cat in the evenings when Mario goes home. The story continues with these four friends as they stumble upon many adventures in the bustling city of New York. 

First day of School

It is that time of year again, back to school. Many are sad that summer is over, many are excited to get back to school and their friends and then there are those who are just starting school for the first time and are full of nerves. Luckily there are so many wonderful books out there to help with the many different emotions that go with starting a new school year which includes starting school for the first time, going to a new school, making new friends, reconnecting with old friends, having new teachers, moving schools, starting middle school, starting high school, the list goes on. The first day of school for everyone is always full of excitement and anxiety. Here is a list of some of my favorite "going back to school" books that are available at your local libraries, school libraries and even bookstores.

Preschool Books:
Maisy Goes to Preschool by Lucy Cousins
Mouse's First day of school by Lauren Thompson
Will I have a friend by Miriam Cohen (this is one of my favorites and an all-time classic!)

Picture Books: (in no particular order)
Seymour Slug Starts School by Carey Armstrong-Ellis
Look out kindergarten, here I come by Nancy Carlson
Never Spit on your Shoes by Denys Cazet (for the child who loves rules)
I am too absolutely small for school by Lauren Child
The Kissing Hand by Audrey Penn (for the child who has a hard time separating)
First day Jitters by Julie Danneberg
My mom made me go to school by Judy Delton
Meet the Barkers: Morgan and Moffat go to school by Tomie DePaola
Back to School for Rotten Ralph by Janck Gantos
Miss Mingo and the first day of school by Jamie Harper
Jessica by Kevin Henkes (for the child who has an imaginative friend)
Wemberly Worried by Kevin Henkes (for the child who worries a lot)
Froggy goes to School by Jonathan London
Mr Monkey's Classroom by Jiwon Oh
My name is Yoon by Helen Recorvits (for the child who has moved from another country)
Vera's first day of school by Vera Rosenberry
Miss Bindergarten gets ready for Kindergarten by Joseph Slate
Don't eat the teacher by Nick Ward
First Grade Stinks by Mary Ann Rodman
Sam and Gram and the First day of School by Dianne Bloomberg
Slippers at School by Andrew Clements (for the dog lover)

Beginning Readers:
Lucky Goes to School by Gail Herman
Arthur's Back to School Day by Lillian Hoban
Amanda Pig, Schoolgirl by Jan Van Leeuwen
The first day of school by Margaret McNamara
Princess Posey and the first day parade by Stephanie Greene
Stuart goes to School by Sara Pennypacker

3-5th grade books:
Cam Jansen and the first day of school mystery by David Adler
Judy Moody by Megan McDonald
Ramona's World by Beverly Cleary
Back to school Mallory by Laurie Friedman
The New Kid at School by Kate McMullan
Moxie Maxwell does not love Stuart Little by Peggy Gifford

4-6th grade books:
Cosmic by Frank Cottrell Boyce
The reinvention of Moxie Roosevelt by Elizabeth Kimmel

We all know that starting middle school and high school can be very anxiety ridden. There are also some great stories and even survival guides available on how to make friends, navigate around a new school, making good choices and decisions and surviving the pre-teen and teen years. These are just a few titles but there are many more available online or at your local bookstores.

Middle school:

A Smart Girl's Guide to Starting Middle School: Everything You Need to Know About Juggling More Homework, More Teachers, and More Friends (American Girl Library) by Julie Williams 

The fashion disaster that changed my life by Lauren Myracle

High School:

High School 101: Freshman Survival Guide by Dawn Burnette

Ultimate High School Survival Guide (Peterson's Ultimate Guides) by Julianne Dueber

Back to school is an exciting time, full of new beginnings and new adventures. I hope everyone has a great year! I know I will!