Madeline (Ludwig Bemelmens)

I got Madeline from the library. Many of the kids said, "I know that movie!" when they saw it. I had one student who had read both of these books before.  He read the Frankenstein one a I read Madeline. We had a good chuckle. Some commented that the Frankenstein boom is more for boys and the Madeline book is more for girls.  I guess I still have some work to do with the idea that anyone can read anything - there are no BOYS books and GIRLS books :)

Madeline is a classic. Everyone should read it! However, I have to say, it is even better next to Frankenstein.

Goodreads summary: 

Madeline is one of the best-loved characters in children's literature. Set in picturesque Paris, this tale of a brave little girl's trip to the hospital was a Caldecott Honor Book in 1940 and has as much appeal today as it did then. The combination of a spirited heroine, timelessly appealing art, cheerful humor, and rhythmic text makes Madeline a perennial favorite with children of all ages. 

Jacob Have I Loved (Katherine Paterson)

I got this book out after reading Bridge to Terabithia (again) for my grade three book club. Katherine Paterson is quite a renound author, but I haven't really read anything else of hers. I decided I should. I was interested in seeing what she did with the Jacob and Esau reference. 

Is the Jacob and Esau story a foundation for a meta narrative? I had no idea. Seemed intriguing though. She certainly does weave plenty of biblical reference through this entire story. 

As I read, I wondered if this would be a good story to do for grade three book club. There were enough odd moments (huge crush on someone who could be her grandpa? Her senile grandmother accusing her mother endlessly of being a harlot?!) that made me realize it wouldn't be appropriate. As a matter of fact, as I read I started to hate the main character. I wondered how in the world the book became a Caldecott winner. However, as I kept on, I realized there really is beauty in the story. She touches on some themes in an amazing way.

Main themes seem to be finding yourself and sibling rivalry. Sara Louise hates her twin sister. She seems justified. Her sister smart quite unaware of the rivalry. She just goes about doing what she does...totally irritating Sarah Louise, who never resolves the problems with her sister. It makes it so that their sisterhood isn't at all one of those wonderful friendships. Not at all. Actually, Sarah Louise's negativity and loathing really began to wear on me. At the part where she is complaining to her mother about her mother's choices in life, I realized that she  really needed to quit projecting her unhappiness on to everyone else! Happily, she does seem to figure this out for herself. She finally realizes that she needs to do what makes her happy and goes away to school. She's wants to become a doctor, but it is a time when women are really only expected to be nurses. She ends up in a small mountainous community, being the only medical professional, and ends up marrying. In her new life, she leaves her family behind, even unable to return fo funerals. Frankly, I knew if she did go back, she would go straight back to her miserableness.....so I understood her not going.

The story comes full circle when she delivers twins, spending her energy saving the life of one while the other waits in a basket.....just like when she was born. I feel like she would have made the connection and perhaps had some healing as a result of the experience.

There is magic and wisdom in this story. It would be great to read it with middle school students or even with adults....especially my church friends.

Goodreads summary:

Jacob have I loved, but Esau have I hated . . . With her grandmother's taunt, Louise knew that she, like the biblical Esau, was the despised elder twin. Caroline, her selfish younger sister, was the one everyone loved.Growing up on a tiny Chesapeake Bay island in the early 1940s, angry Louise reveals how Caroline robbed her of everything: her hopes for schooling, her friends, her mother, even her name. While everyone pampered Caroline, Wheeze (her sister's name for her) began to learn the ways of the watermen and the secrets of the island, especially of old Captain Wallace, who had mysteriously returned after fifty years. The war unexpectedly gave this independent girl a chance to fulfill her childish dream to work as a watermen alongside her father. But the dream did not satisfy the woman she was becoming. Alone and unsure, Louise began to fight her way to a place where Caroline could not reach.Renowned author Katherine Paterson here chooses a little-known area off the Maryland shore as her setting for a fresh telling of the ancient story of an elder twin's lost birthright.

Alexander, Who Used To Be Rich Last Sunday (Judith Viorst)

I love this story. My students could totally relate to the problem of wanting to buy stuff the minute you have money in your pocket. When he talks about how hard it is to save your money there was lots of nodding in agreement.

The interactions with Alexander's brothers made everyone giggle a little.

After a few minutes, however, someone did suddenly have a light bulb moment about how inexpensive things are in this story! He can buy a lot just with $1! And who even uses pennies anymore? We don't! I'm thinking someone needs to update this story a little bit.

This would be a good story for talking about how little things make a big difference and how sometimes you just have limited resources. You could also talk about the value of money and why it's good to wait before you buy the first thing that comes along. The story isn't preachy at all. It is very relate-able.

Goodreads summary:

Last Sunday, Alexander's grandparents gave him a dollar -- and he was rich. There were so many things that he could do with all of that money!

He could buy as much gum as he wanted, or even a walkie-talkie, if he saved enough. But somehow the money began to disappear...

Readers of all ages will be delighted by this attractive new edition of Judith Viorst's beloved picture book.

Francine Poulet Meets the Ghost Raccoon (Kate DiCamillo)

I'm amazed at how even easy chapter books written by Kate DiCamillo are a delight. She doesn't skimp on vocabulary and the stories are actually quite compelling. This story is a bit of a spin-off of the Mercy Watson series although it's fine to read it on its own.

After Francine Poulet gets shaken by a bad experience, she starts to doubt herself. This would be a great story to read with a child who has been back-sliding a little with their confidence. Francine Poulet bears down and learns to handle what she needs to do.


Goodreads Summary:

Deckawoo Drive’s intrepid Animal Control Officer meets her match—or does she? A funny, heartfelt, and fast-paced romp from the National Ambassador for Young People’s Literature.

Francine Poulet is the greatest Animal Control Officer in Gizzford County. She hails from a long line of Animal Control Officers. She’s battled snakes, outwitted squirrels, and stared down a bear. "The genuine article," Francine’s dad always called her. She is never scared—until, that is, she’s faced with a screaming raccoon that may or may not be a ghost. Maybe Francine isn’t cut out to be an Animal Control Officer after all! But the raccoon is still on the loose, and the folks on Deckawoo Drive need Francine back. Can she face her fears, round up the raccoon, and return to the ranks of Animal Control? Join a cast of familiar characters—Frank, Stella, Mrs. Watson, and Mercy the porcine wonder—for some riotous raccoon wrangling on Deckawoo Drive. 

One Hockey Night (David Ward)

I already cried over one hockey book! Here's another one that could make you cry if you don't take deep breaths (I handled it today quite well) :)

My students LOVE hockey stories. They're so Canadian. They're so relate-able. This one is about a family that moves from Saskatchewan to Nova Scotia (Oh! Immediately lots of hands go up with stories of Saskatchewan and Nova Scotia). My students love to hear names of places they know when we read books. This story ends with, "It's hockey night in Kettle Harbour!" My students got the connection to the pre-amble to Hockey Night in Canada immediately.

Goodreads summary:

For Owen, winter is all about hockey. It’s December, and his family has just moved to the east coast. He’s shovelled snow. He’s practised shots in the driveway. But he hasn’t skated on ice. Now it’s Christmas Eve, and it’s time for a secret to be revealed! 

A hockey story – and a holiday story – with a heartwarming Canadian setting.

Moonlight Over Paris (Jennifer Robson)

I loved this book. You can't tell by how long it took me - but I found myself wanting to just immerse myself in Paris life as I read. It is report card season right now so I had less time to read - but when I did I found myself reading for an hour and not even realizing I had been immersed in the book that long.

I loved how Helena followed her dreams, messing up along the way, but persisting. I found myself wondering if it was a true reflection of what life was like in Paris back then and, given Jennifer Robson's great historian skills, I tend to think it was pretty spot on. I marvelled at people wanting to separate themselves from family fortunes. Really?! What harm is there in having a big pile of money?! :)

This is a book (series!) I'll definitely read again.

Goodreads summary:

USA Today and internationally bestselling author Jennifer Robson takes readers to 1920s Paris in an enthralling new historical novel that tells the riveting story of an English lady who trades in her staid aristocratic life for the mesmerizing salons and the heady world of the Lost Generation.

It’s the spring of 1924, and Lady Helena Montagu-Douglas-Parr has just arrived in France. On the mend after a near-fatal illness, she is ready to embrace the restless, heady allure of the City of Lights. Her parents have given her one year to live with her eccentric aunt in Paris and Helena means to make the most of her time. She’s quickly drawn into the world of the Lost Generation and its circle of American expatriates, and with their encouragement, she finds the courage to pursue her dream of becoming an artist.

One of those expats is Sam Howard, a journalist working for the Chicago Tribune. Irascible, plain-spoken, and scarred by his experiences during the war, Sam is simply the most fascinating man she has ever met. He’s also entirely unsuitable.

As Paris is born anew, rising phoenix-like from the ashes of the Great War, Helena realizes that she, too, is changing. The good girl she once was, so dutiful and obedient, so aware of her place in the world, is gone forever. Yet now that she has shed her old self, who will she become, and where, and with whom, does she belong…? 

Frankenstein (Ludworst Bemonster/Rick Walton)

Love the "CaldeNOT Horror Book" award the book gave itself!

This book is funny....if you're familiar with Madeleine. Unfortunately, most of my students didn't know that book. I will find it so we can rectify this situation!

Parody is a great thing to learn about!

Goodreads summary:

This laugh-out-loud funny and devilish send-up of Ludwig Bemelmans's Madeline is for little monsters everywhere.

Frankenstein is the scariest of all the monsters in Miss Devel's castle. He can frighten anything--animals, parents, even rocks. Until one night, Miss Devel wakes up and runs downstairs to find that Frankenstein has lost his head!