Babymouse #8 - Puppy Love by Jennifer L. Holm and Matthew Holm

Title/Series:   Babymouse #8 -Puppy Love

Author: Jennifer L. Holm and Matthew Holm

Pages: 91 pages

Copyright  Date: 2007

Reading Level:  3^rd grade

Interest Level:  2^nd -6^th grade

Summary:  Babymouse has had five pet fish who have all died suddenly, so she wants to get an animal she can touch and play with.  All of the animals that Babymouse tries to keep as pets keep disappearing!  Babymouse doesn’t know what is wrong.  She really wants a dog, but mom doesn’t want to keep spending money on disappearing pets.  What will happen when Babymouse tries to keep a stray dog as a pet?

Educational: Average– has a brief daydream of Charlotte’s Web while Babymouse imagines a pig as a pet

Content: Good – the funny illustrations and text will make reluctant readers want to read more(graphic novel which means it looks similar to a comic book), the text inside the pictures will help children read all of the items on the page (this is a good skill for reading nonfiction books)

              Note: Graphic novel series, such as the Babymouse series, are great for motivating reluctant readers.

Message: Average– owners of pets must be responsible to keep their pet happy and safe

Bridge to Terabithia by Katherine Paterson

Title/Series:   Bridge to Terabithia

Author: Katherine Paterson

Pages: 128 pages

Copyright  Date: 1977

Reading Level: 6^th grade

Interest Level: 4^th – 7^th grade

Summary:  This classic children’s book begins with a fifth grade boy who dreams of winning the school yard races.  He practices so that he will win, but the unexpected life twist of a new girl in the school changes his victory.  As the boy Jess becomes friends with Leslie, the new girl in school, he discovers an imaginary world.  Together Jess and Leslie create a magic world of their own, Terabithia.  Through their friendship they conquer bullies, family issues, and even loss.

Educational: Average– an essay written by Leslie shows the power of words

Content: Good – this book covers the topics of bullying successfully (shows why someone may bully and what a victim can do), the other strong idea in the book is loss (the topic of a child dying could be hard for younger readers – this would be a good discussion starter on death),  imaginary world makes the story exciting for readers

                Caution- This book contains language which may be inappropriate for young readers.  The word hell is used repeatedly throughout the book.  In the beginning of the book, it is used as a swear word.  As the book continues the word hell is used to describe the afterlife.  A discussion on the use of this word may help the child understand why the word is being used so frequently. 

Other words that are inappropriate for younger children such as teats , pervert, and bosomy also appear throughout Bridge to Terabithia.

Message: Good – deals with how to move past a great loss at a young age.

           

Princess Academy by Shannon Hale

Title/Series:   Princess Academy

Author: Shannon Hale

Pages: 320 pages

Copyright  Date: 2005

Reading Level: 5^th grade

Interest Level: 6^th – 8^th grade

Summary:  Fourteen year old Miri is the main character of this Newberry-honor book.  Miri wants to work in the stone quarry like others in her Mount Eskel village, but is not allowed due to her small size.  A royal decree means that all eligible girls must attend an academy which will prepare them to become princesses.  One lucky girl will then be chosen to become the prince’s bride.  Will tiny Miri be able to save her classmates from danger and become a royal princess?

Educational: Good – economic ideas of supply and demand, power of knowledge

Content: Good – many twists and turns, friendships, teamwork

Message: Good – empowerment and leadership

Bubbles, Bubbles by Kathi Appelt

Title/Series:   Bubbles, Bubbles

Author: Kathi Appelt

Copyright  Date: 2001

Reading Level: 2^nd grade

Interest Level: Kindergarten to 2^nd grade

Summary:  This fun story about bath time has both fun words and rhyming words.  It makes the idea of making bubbles while taking a bath fun.

Educational: Good – rhyming words, repeating words

Content: Average – good story for those who are reluctant bathers

Message: Average – shows that bath time can be fun

Dear Mr. Henshaw by Beverly Cleary

Title/Series:   Dear Mr. Henshaw

Author: Beverly Cleary

Pages: 134 pages

Copyright  Date: 1983

Reading Level: 5^th grade

Interest Level: 4^th – 6^th grade

Summary:  Second grader Leigh Botts adores a book about dog training by author Mr. Boyd Henshaw. To fulfill a school assignment, Leigh writes to Mr. Henshaw and tells him how much he "licked" his book.
At first, Leigh resents the  replies he gets from his idol, but gradually he answers Mr. Henshaw's questions, which are really only to encourage Leigh to put pencil to paper. Four years later, Leigh is in the sixth grade and is still writing to Mr. Henshaw, and he never imagines that he'd reveal so much of himself and his life to the author:
Dear Mr. Henshaw, I am sorry I was rude in my last letter . . . Maybe I was mad about other things, like Dad forgetting to send his child-support payment . . . ." Gradually not only his spelling and writing improve, but also his feelings about life, as Mr. Henshaw inspires Leigh to keep a journal.
This Newbery Award-winning book by veteran author Beverly Cleary traces the inner life of a sometimes lonely and often troubled boy during that all-important but painful transition into adolescence, and she does so with grace and humor.

Educational: Good – shows that getting ideas down on paper are important no matter how well you write, idea of writing in a journal, personal letter format

Content: Good – the troubled character shows that everyone has problems but that we must find ways to solve our problems

Message: Good – just like the character, the reader has control over how to feel about life