Tilly and the Bookwanderers (Anna James)

 

This is one of many series about books coming to life - either going into a book or characters coming out of the book. In this book, the main character I chose this as a read-aloud without reading it ahead of time. It is a lovely story and very imaginative, but it is tricky as a read aloud because some of the words were quite advanced for my students. I found myself reading ahead so I could figure out what to skip. There's a lot of description of people and places that causes my students to tune out. Once I got that figured out everyone became much more engaged in listening to the story. 

p. 108

...so many out-of-the way things happened to me that  I began to think that very few things are indeed really impossible. I know a woman - who spoke a lot of nonsense most of the time, it has to be said - but she once told me that she sometimes believe as many as six impossible things a day and all before breakfast! And so nowadays I try to make a little more space for the impossible to happen.

p. 157

"Oh Tilly. To my eternal sadness, we are not magical at all; we're just lucky enough to be able to use the natural magic of books and reading. It exists for everyone, but some of us can exert a little more control over it...."

p. 177 

Bookwandering if the ability to travel inside books and only a few readers can do it/ you could say we can read a bit harder than most people. Something tips us over from visiting the books purely inside our imagination to being physically transported there. We still don't know precisely how it happens, and why bookwandering magic affect s some people and not others. We think any reader probably has the potential to do it, but perhaps predictably there are very high numbers of booksellers a or librarians, as book wanderers almost always have a very special or particular relationship with books and reading. 

p. 178

The Underlibrary exists to protect readers, and our stories, we have important rules in place to help do this. As I'm sure you can imagine, some books are far safer than others to explore, and we've had some pretty close calls in the past when people have been pulled through all sorts of unsavory characters when their abilities awoke.

p. 193 Books can change minds and change worlds, open doors and open minds, and plant seeds that can grow into magical or even terrifying things. Stories are things to be loved and respected at the same time; never underestimate the power of them. It's why books are often casualties of censorship; those who ban or burn books are those who are scared of what can be found among their pages. But imagine what might happen if those people also knew there was a way to permanently damage those stories; it's why we are so secretive. What we do could be put to such terrible use in the wrong hands'. 

p. 207 Book wandering is only possible in bookshops and libraries in our experience. It just doesn't seem to work unless you are in a book emporium of some kind; you need the potency of all the different book worlds brought together in one space

Goodreads says:
A magical adventure to delight the imagination. A curl-up-on-the-sofa debut from a uniquely talented author.

Eleven year-old Tilly has lived above her grandparents' bookshop ever since her mother disappeared shortly after she was born. Like the rest of her family, Tilly loves nothing more than to escape into the pages of her favourite stories.

One day Tilly realises that classic children's characters are appearing in the shop through the magic of `book wandering' - crossing over from the page into real life.

With the help of Anne of Green Gables and Alice in Wonderland. Tilly is determined to solve the mystery of what happened to her mother all those years ago, so she bravely steps into the unknown, unsure of what adventure lies ahead and what dangers she may face.

The Perfect Seat (Minh Le and Gus Gordon)

 

Minh Le has some beautiful books (Drawn Together is one of my favorites). I thought of Deborah Ellis' brilliant book, Sit, when I picked it up, and it might be a good match. This one is for a much younger audience. It's quite cute. Could be a good way to start of our year's goal of reading a story every day....but truthfully, I like more control at the carpet and this might invite kids to think they can move around and sit in different places. LOL

Goodreads says:

This child and their parent are almost ready for story time--but first, they must find the perfect seat! This picture book takes readers through various opposites ("Too rough! Too slippery!") as the characters search for just the right spot.

The Wild Robot (Peter Brown)

Wow! I couldn't stop reading when I started The Wild Robot. It's a beautiful and compelling story. I have book two on audio book waiting for me from the public library so I plan to jump into it right away. I have to know what happens to Roz.

I think it would make a great One School One Book selection. It is a simple story for young kids and has enough complex issues for discussion.

Peter Brown is the author of many picture books that we have read and loved:
Creepy Carrots!
Children Make Terrible Pets
Mr. Tiger Goes Wild
My Teacher is a Monster (No I'm Not!)

February 3, 2021: Read this aloud to my class. They were totally captivated by the story. I was a little worried that the violence at the end of the story when the Ricoh robots come to take Roz back would be too much - but they actually seemed to totally love it. This story really kept them on the edge of their seat.

May 6, 2022: Read aloud was a huge success. Students want me to read book 2 but we are going to use it in our literature circle/in-class book clubs.

Notice and Note Signposts

Tough Question? Ah ha Moment? Contrast and Contradiction?
p. 118 It was the first ship either of them had ever laid eyes on. From that distance, it looked as though it were moving slowly, but it was actually racing through the waves. From the distance, it looked as though it were small, but it was actually one of the largest ships ever built. The robot and the gosling watched it drawl across the ocean until it finally disappeared to the south.
Where had the ship come from? Where was it going? Who was on board? Roz and Brightbill had many questions but no answers.

Contrast and Contradiction

What does it mean to be alive?
p. 125 "What do you mean, you're not alive?" squawked Brightbill.
"It's true," said Roz. "I am not an animal. I do not eat or breathe. I am not alive."
"You move and talk and think, Mama. You're definitely alive."

Roz and the animals versus the Recos

Chapters 70-75

Memory Moment
Chapter 63 The Journey: Brightbill tells Roz about his migration experiences. Lots of foreshadowing!

October 29, 2022: Read it as a read-aloud again. It was a hit once again. I decided I will not read the second book aloud and instead will encourage students to read it on their own. 
Interestingly, this year a lot of kids had a hard time with the pronouns for Roz. Even though she was a mother. Even though the book clearly talks about the character as a she, they often referred to Roz initially as he. This video made me think maybe children are starting to break the barriers of gender stereotypes?

https://vm.tiktok.com/ZMFSsN8S7/ 

Goodreads says:

When robot Roz opens her eyes for the first time, she discovers that she is alone on a remote, wild island. Why is she there? Where did she come from? And, most important, how will she survive in her harsh surroundings? Roz's only hope is to learn from the island's hostile animal inhabitants. When she tries to care for an orphaned gosling, the other animals finally decide to help, and the island starts to feel like home. Until one day, the robot's mysterious past comes back to haunt her.... 

Big Foot Little Foot (Ellen Potter)

I can't wait to share this one with my class. They love trading cards and in this book children trade monster cards for stink sap. It would be a great read aloud.

I think they will also love how the school is organized:
There were three classrooms in the Academy. Classroom One was for the younger squidges. Classroom Two was for squidges who are old enough to know better. Classroom Three was for squidges who thought they knew better than everyone else but really didn’t. 

Totally logical!

Goodreads says:
Hugo is a young Sasquatch who longs for adventure. Boone is young boy who longs to see a Sasquatch. When their worlds collide, they become the unlikeliest pair of best friends.
 
At the Academy for Curious Squidges, Hugo learns all manner of Sneaking—after all, the most important part of being a Sasquatch is staying hidden from humans. But Hugo dreams of roaming free in the Big Wide World rather than staying cooped up in caves. When he has an unexpected run-in with a young human boy, Hugo seizes the opportunity for a grand adventure. Soon, the two team up to search high and low for mythical beasts, like Ogopogos and Snoot-Nosed Gints. Through discovering these new creatures, together, Big Foot and Little Foot explore the ins and outs of each other’s very different worlds but learn that, deep down, maybe they’re not so different after all.

Reading Aloud Always Wins

For the past few years I have been reading a book a day in my classroom. It has changed my teaching experience and is something I plan to do from now on. There are so many great things that come out it and so many connections to our learning that can be made.

Book Club is a great way for this to continue at home. I came across this Ted Talk today and it made me excited to think about all the potential Grade 3 Book Club has at home.

Stone Fox (John Reynolds Gardiner)

A few ELL students I have known have read this book as a novel study. I can see why. It's pretty short so it's a quick read but the story is great. It would make a great read-aloud. The story is similar to Iron Will. Willy saves Grandpa's farm, and Searchlight gives his life. Heartbreaking story!

Goodreads says:

John Reynolds Gardiner's classic action-packed adventure story about a thrilling dogsled race has captivated readers for more than thirty years.

Based on a Rocky Mountain legend, Stone Fox tells the story of Little Willy, who lives with his grandfather in Wyoming. When Grandfather falls ill, he is no longer able to work the farm, which is in danger of foreclosure. Little Willy is determined to win the National Dogsled Race—the prize money would save the farm and his grandfather. But he isn't the only one who desperately wants to win. Willy and his brave dog Searchlight must face off against experienced racers, including a Native American man named Stone Fox, who has never lost a race.

Exciting and heartwarming, this novel has sold millions of copies and was named a New York Times Outstanding Children's Book.

Yours Sincerely, Giraffe (Megumi Iwasa)

As I read this book I kept thinking, there must be something deeper and more meaningful than I'm getting. I'm not entirely sure there really is. It's a cute and fun little story that makes you think about things a little differently. How would you describe someone if you had never seen that type of person, err, animal.

This would be a good beginning of the year read aloud. Lots of pictures and simple text and a few chuckles along the way. Would also be a good introduction to the letter writing we do for special students every week.

Goodreads summary:

Giraffe is bored, as usual. He'd love a friend to share things with. So he writes a letter and sends it as far as possible across the other side of the horizon. There he finds a pen palPenguin.

Punished! (David Lubar)

This book took me about 25 minutes to read. It would be a great book for middle elementary kids who aren't super strong readers yet. The puns are entertaining. It teaches some great parts of language that would make for a great classroom discussion. It would be fun to build a wall full of puns,  oxymorons, anagrams and palindromes. We have talked about using this book for our Battle of the Books. Perhaps there could be an additional contest where teams could earn points by taking on the challenge that Logan finds himself absorbed in. I think this would also make a great read aloud. 

October 2021: Read aloud to my class. Sometimes it was hard for them to get the puns and plays on language because they couldn't see the words. Would be good as a novel study with everyone having a book. We enjoyed it, nonetheless.

Goodreads summary: 

Logan and his friend Benedict run into the wrong guy at the library--literally. When Logan slams into the reference guy in the basement and gives him a little lip, Logan gets punished, really and truly punished. He has three days to complete three tasks before Professor Wordsworth will lift the magical punishment that keeps getting Logan in even more trouble.

Jacob Two-Two and the Dinosaur (Mordecai Richler)

I decided that during DEAR time I will always read a book from our library corner so that I can book-talk it with the kids in my class. This week it was Jacob Two-Two. Many years ago I went to a play at Olympic Plaza that was Jacob Two-Two and the Dinosaur. It was quite true to the book! I was a little bothered at the way Jacob is treated in the beginning of the book. He is teased by everyone in his family. It seems a little over the top. Maybe I'm just too sensitive. Mordecai Richler definitely has a similar feel to his books as Roald Dahl: adults are mean and quite unnecessary and kids have to make it on their own. There's also lots of great humor that kids in Gr 3 will really crack up over - like the dinosaur causing huge wind storms because of gas he gets after eating his favorite food: Pizza! There's some great elaborative detail in chapter 4 when Dippy is introduced! I will make a note of this for when I'm teaching elaborative detail. One of the really fun things about this book is that it is set in Canada. They go to Banff and mention other places near us. The back page also notes that the children in the story have the same names as Mordecai Richler's children. I think this would be a great book to read aloud. Goodreads summary: When his parents return from Kenya with a cute little green lizard on his eighth birthday (he’s two times two times two), Jacob Two-Two is thrilled. But it isn’t long before Jacob realizes that his new pet Dippy isn’t a lizard after all. And as months pass, it is apparent Dippy isn’t so little either. Soon Dippy is attracting all sorts of unwanted attention and before he knows it, Jacob is on the run from the Canadian government with a full-grown dinosaur to hide.

Lulu's Mysterious Mission (Judith Viorst)

Earlier in the year, we read Alexander Who Used to be Rich Last Sunday and Alexander and the No Good Horrible Very Bad  Day. When reading about the author, I realized she also had some chapter books and decided to check one out. It took a while for it to come in from the public library and when I got it I couldn't quite remember why I had put it on hold - so I put off reading it. I'm so glad I finally got around to it. It is a hilarious book and it would make a great read aloud. I will definitely put it up for a book draw for the last few weeks of school.

I loved how the book was tall and thin. It is an unusual shape for a book and there aren't a lot of words in each page. The story starts off with a confession: 

Lulu's babysitter is hilarious looking (big kudos go out to the illustrator....his illustrations are amazing!) 

The story reminded me of when I was a little girl. My parents used to travel a lot. I almost always had thoughts of terror run through my mind each time they left. I mused over what would happen if this was the trip they died on and never returned. I made plans for who I would go live with and what I would do as an orphan. 

Goodreads Summary: 

This irresistible third illustrated chapter book starring Judith Viorst’s Lulu is full of hilarious hijinks, delightful twists, and a top-secret mission!

Eeny meeny miney mo,
That babysitter’s got to go.

Lulu has put her tantrum-throwing days behind her. That is, until her parents announce that they are going on vacation—WITHOUT LULU. Not only that, but they are leaving her with the formidable Ms. Sonia Sofia Solinsky, who says hello by bellowing, “The Eagle has landed,” and smiles at you with the kind of smile that an alligator might give you before eating you for dinner.

The second her parents are out of the house, Lulu tries out several elaborate schemes to bring them straight back. But just when she seems to finally be making some headway, her babysitter reveals an astonishing secret…one that has Lulu crossing her fingers that her parents will go on vacation all the time—without her! 

Dory Fantasmagory (Abby Hanlon)

Abby Hanlon has done a great job of giving us a glimpse into the oh so real imagination of children around us. It was a delight!

I keep coming across blog posts about Abby Hanlon and her books. She seems to be the latest greatest thing! Here is an interview with her. Nerdy Book Club has a wonderful post by her that tells about a teaching experience she had. Travis Jonker has written about her on 100 Scope Notes. Mr. Schu listed Dory as one of the top books of 2014 (why did I not know about this until now?!) 

She has another book that was just put out in July called Dory and the Real True Friend, which I have on hold at the library as well as a delightful book called Ralph Tells a Story that I plan to use for teaching writing this year.

Not only that: She gets great reviews from kids!



(No comprehension issues with Molly, I'd say!)

Goodreads summary: 

As the youngest in her family, Dory really wants attention, and more than anything she wants her brother and sister to play with her. But she’s too much of a baby for them, so she’s left to her own devices—including her wild imagination and untiring energy. Her siblings may roll their eyes at her childish games, but Dory has lots of things to do: outsmarting the monsters all over the house, escaping from prison (aka time-out), and exacting revenge on her sister’s favorite doll. And when they really need her, daring Dory will prove her bravery, and finally get exactly what she has been looking for.

With plenty of pictures bursting with charm and character, this hilarious book about an irresistible rascal is the new must-read for the chapter book set. 

Little kid concern number one: that everyone is having a good laugh:

P. 57 I try and get Luke and Violet to laugh at me. Cereal time, I've discovered, is the best time for laughing. If I can get milk to come out of my nose, they always laugh. And if my parents sleep late, I can make them laugh by saying bathroom words.

Dory has imaginative friends (well, and enemies) that seem real...not just real to her, but real to us as we are reading. One example is where Dory us pretending to be a dog with "Mrs. Goggle Gracker" and "Mr. Nuggy", two of her imaginative acquaintances:

P. 72: "Where did that little girl go? She was just out here. And where did this stupid dog come from?" Mrs. Gobble Gracker asks Mr, Nuggy.

"You must be imagining things," says Mr, Nuggy. "There is no girl here."

"I know you're up to something, Nuggy," she says. "Your silly little tricks have never worked on me."

"Watch out," says Mr. Nuggy. "This dog bites."

I bark my head off at Mrs. Gobble Gracker.

"Somebody get this dog to shut up!" says Mrs. Gobble Gracker. She has absolutely no idea it is me.

"Woof, woof!" I say, which means, "My human days are over." And boy, do I mean it.

Mr. Nuggy says, "I have to go now, my wife needs me home for dinner." He starts to climb back up the same tree.

"Woof, woof, woof," I bark up the tree after him, which means, "Wait! What's your phone number?"

"You can call me from any banana," he calls down. "No numbers."

Now and then, to get rid of someone, poisoning seems to be the perfect thing. Dory hatches a plan with "Mr. Nuggy" to get rid of "Mrs. Gobble Gracker":

P. 107: "I've brought ingredients for a poison soup," he says. "This is how we get rid of Mrs. Gobble Gracker...permanently."

"What will happen when she eats the soup?" I ask.

"Well, first she will choke a little bit, and then feathers will come out of her ears, and then her eyeballs will turn into gloppy yogurt, and then she'll drop dead."

"Oh!" I say, hugging him. "You are the best fairy godmother in the world!"

Of course, poisoning someone isn't without its hitches:

P. 117

"Do you have a cell phone." Asks Mr. Nuggy.

"No, but I really want one," she says. "Can you get me one?"

"Umm....?" Says Mr. Nuggy, looking unsure of what to say next.

"Do you have a cat?" I interrupt.

"I ate my cat," she says. "It was an accident."

A little glimpse into why it takes kids so long to clean up (errr, or why it never gets done):

P. 127 It takes a really long time to clean up the fort because I keep forgetting that I'm cleaning up.

And there is a little humor parents will really relate to about living with a kid with a great imagination:

P. 134 "Okay, calm down, she was real, whatever you say," my dad says, dragging me down the hallway to my room. "Just go to bed."

Even my dad said she's real!

"I have to be brave," I say, clinging to him. 

"No! You have to go to bed!" he says, dropping me on my head.

"Stay. In. Bed!" he says, pointing his finger at me, then he tucks me in tight. "Because it's not safe for you to come out!" he says as he shuts my door, and I think I hear him laugh a tiny bit.

Great picture of what is going on in a kid's imagination sometimes!

P. 148: 

I love this Dory kid! She reminds me very much of some of my incredibly imaginative play talented nieces and nephews!

Clementine (Sara Pennypacker)

Clementine is hilarious. She is sassy and silly and matter of fact and messy and impulsive. I am looking forward to reading book 1 to my class and then turning them loose on the rest of the series.

Warning: never put Clementine, June B Jones, Marty McGuire, Ivy and Bean or Pippi Longstocking in the same room. They are all cut from the same cloth! 

Which makes me ask: what is with all these series of spunky (naughty?) tom-boy girls? 

Goodreads summary: 

Clementine is having not so good of a week.

-On Monday she's sent to the principal’s office for cutting off Margaret’s hair.
- Tuesday, Margaret's mother is mad at her. 
- Wednesday, she's sent to the principal... again. 
- Thursday, Margaret stops speaking to her. 
- Friday starts with yucky eggs and gets worse. 
- And by Saturday, even her mother is mad at her.

Okay, fine. Clementine is having a DISASTROUS week.

The Unlikely Adventures of Mabel Jones (Will Mabbitt)

                           

I learned about this book from a list of 'must read' books for this summer. I went to the library website to put it on hold and found that the digital copy was available (the printed form won't be out until later this summer). I am not a huge fan of digital books, but I am starting to see some great reasons to read digitally. As I found interesting parts I wanted to remember and blog about I highlighted the text and took a screen shot. It made putting this blog post together so easy! 

This story would be a great read aloud (some of the words might be tricky for my grade three students and it is not too long...about 130 pages) and would be a fun follow up to The BFG. It is full of awful creatures that steal children...but in a matter of fact way that children delight in! They will love the scary bits. They will love the grossness. It is kid perfect!

It is also full of lines that will make any adult snicker, and be perfectly sensible to children. I chuckled all the way through it.

P. 17 Captain Idryss Ebenezer Split turned to his crew and uttered an oath so foul it could NEVER be written down.

 (It contained a word so rude that if an adult whispered it to themselves after bedtime, under the quilt so no one could hear, they could still be arrested and thrown in prison for a very long time.)

The illustrations are hilarious! They seem like the illustrations that would be in Inkheart. Scary!!!

Mabel is taken in the night by a perfectly frightful band of pirates after she does THE DEED (errr, picking her nose and eating it!) They are aghast when they realize they have kidnapped a GIRL. They didn't realize girls did THE DEED.

P. 19 Any final words, girl?” snarled Captain Split.

He made the word “girl” sound like how the smell of dog poo would sound if it made a noise.

It's matter if fastness reminds me of many conversations I have at school with kids all the time. (Insert wings story and balls story): 

P. 23 This morning Mabel Jones had a feeling that she probably wouldn’t be going to school.

This morning she was sitting on a barrel in the cabin of a pirate ship, surrounded by a crew of excited animal pirates. It was actually surprisingly similar to being at school except, instead of a nice principal called Mr. Dobson, there was an evil wolf called Captain Idryss Ebenezer Split.

(That is pretty much the same, right?)

There is all sorts of good advice too! Like: Never trust a man who washes his underpants after just one use. (p. 63)

Mabel Jones is one tough girl....and she isn't even persuaded by handsome princes. She sees right through his beauty for what he really is:

p. 73 She was the man who wanted her to stay with him forever in his castle. As a princess?

A prisoner, more like!

Spinning away from his arm, she snarled...

And there is even a friendship theme that runs through.....poor Omynuss Hush really does need a friend.

The School is Alive - The Eerie Elementary Series (Jack Chabert)

Scholastic has something fantastic going on with the new "Branches" series. There are so many great and easy chapter books! We are loving these in my classroom.

Who isn't creeped out when they're alone in a school? This might not help me go in on weekends nad get work done!

I'm guessing my kids are going to love this book - and they'd rather be caught DEAD than alone in our school at night.

This would make a great read-aloud in October. It's quick, has great pictures and the story is captivating. And to top it off, the main character is in 3rd grade. Perfect!

Goodreads summary:

Eerie Elementary is one scary school!

This series is part of Scholastic's early chapter book line called Branches, which is aimed at newly independent readers. With easy-to-read text, high-interest content, fast-paced plots, and illustrations on every page, these books will boost reading confidence and stamina. Branches books help readers grow!

In this first book in the series, Sam Graves discovers that his elementary school is ALIVE! Sam finds this out on his first day as the school hall monitor. Sam must defend himself and his fellow students against the evil school! Is Sam up to the challenge? He'll find out soon enough: the class play is just around the corner. Sam teams up with friends Lucy and Antonio to stop this scary school before it's too late!

Owls in the Family (Farley Mowat)

What a fun book. I read it years ago, but it was really fun to read again. We picked this book for Gr. 3 Book Club this month. I am sure it will be a hit. What kid doesn't love adventures with animals?! 

It made me think of various animals we had as pets. When I was in elementary school we lived on an average. I remember playing with our sheep, Wooly, before the bus would arrive. We would have to remember to hurry clip his rope back up to the clothesline when we saw the dust from the bus at the neighbours down the road. Later he got mean and would butt us right off the deck. Then we ate him. :)

We had a lot of different animals back then: Wild cats and kittens, pigs, cows, horses, and of course, dogs. I wish I had been as adventurous as the boys in this story. We would have had more stories to tell!

This book is a book that will keep you chuckling.

I haven't read it aloud to my students, but I bet it would make a great read aloud. It isn't too long and there is a lot of funny stuff! Great read!

Reread September 2021: Read this aloud to my class. Funny how reading aloud made some things much more apparent. I found myself editing out the racist comments about black people and first nations people. My book is now edited so that I'm not humming and hawing if I read this aloud again. I wonder if books like this should be re-written to reflect some of the ideas on racism from today? The owls and other animals stories are great entertainment still.

Good reads summary: 

Every child needs to have a pet. No one could argue with that.

But what happens when your pet is an owl, and your owl is terrorizing the neighbourhood?

In Farley Mowat’s exciting children’s story, a young boy’s pet menagerie – which includes crows, magpies, gophers and a dog – grows out of control with the addition of two cantankerous pet owls. The story of how Wol and Weeps turn the whole town upside down is warm, funny, and bursting with adventure and suspense.


From the eBook edition.

Farewell to Shady Glade (Bill Peet)

Goodreads Summary:

Bulldozers push the raccoon and his friends from their home, but they are able to find a new one after a terrifying train ride.

I read this to my class and they were riveted. Is it the animals? Is it the fabulously crafted story? Is it the beautiful illustrations? I don't know...but this one is a marvelous read aloud.





Tags:

Animals: Bill Peet does a marvelous job of giving animals personality
Moving: The animals have to find a new home because theirs is being destroyed

The Ant and The Elephant (Bill Peet)

I love Bill Peet! This book provided our class with a great discussion.

Why were those animals so grumpy?
Why weren't they more grateful for the help?
Should the elephant have helped them since they were being so cranky?
Could a bunch of ants really save an elephant?

We talked about how sometimes it's difficult to make a difference, but one person can. If it's a big job, if everyone bands together, amazing things can happen!
...then they broke out in song singing, "We can make a difference."

Lafcadio, The Lion Who Shot Back (Shel Silverstein)

I've read this one aloud before. Check out my last entry. It's a winner every time.

My class was really surprised this time with the ending. It ends quite sad. He just wanders off and is never

heard

from

again.....

My favorite part was that one of my students asked if he  could take it home tonight. Lately he takes a book home and reads the whole thing in one evening. Another student asked if he could have it tomorrow. I love it when kids get excited about books!

Foul Play (Karen Edwards)

This is a great little story about a boy who wants a new coat. Along the way he learns lessons about friendship and forgiveness and compassion. There are interesting twists with characters who destroy a property one night, a kid whose dad always yells at him, and the fun of hockey.

I love that the author is Canadian - from Saskatoon!

This book would be a good read aloud with lots of good discussion potential for a character lesson.

Inkheart (Cornelia Funke)

For some reason this has often been a stall book for me. I get half way through it then don't finish it. Despite all the times I started and didn't finish it, I love this book! (I did finally finish it) I love the idea of having stories come to life. I loved how people escape into the stories and escape out of the stories. I loved that reading well can make it all happen. I loved all the references to other books and stories. Fabulous story! Goodreads Summary: Twelve-year-old Meggie learns that her father, who repairs and binds books for a living, can "read" fictional characters to life when one of those characters abducts them and tries to force him into service.   Characters from books literally leap off the page in this engrossing fantasy. Meggie has had her father to herself since her mother went away when she was young. Mo taught her to read when she was five, and the two share a mutual love of books. He can "read" characters out of books. When she was three, he read aloud from a book called Inkheart and released characters into the real world. At the same time, Meggie's mother disappeared into the story. This "story within a story" will delight not just fantasy fans, but all readers who like an exciting plot with larger-than-life characters