2010 March | Literature Young Adult Fiction

by Second Mate Embry, guest reviewer

Title: Wing Nut
Author: MJ Auch
Format: Paperback
Page Count: 256
Grade Reading Level: Grades 6-8

Summary: Grady Flood and his mom Lila have been moving around from place to place ever since his dad died. Lila gets a job looking after an old man named Charlie Fernwald. But Charlie doesn’t think he needs any help whatsoever. Grady can’t wait to move again because he thinks Charlie is weird. Then Charlie and Grady bond over fixing cars and purple martins. Does this mean Grady’s home and life is permanent once more or will life fall apart again?

Why I started reading this book:

It’s one of the books on my school reading list and it was also a choice for a reading assignment by my teacher and was on the list for Book Bash too. It was an all around win as far as book selection goes.

Likes:

I have never read anything else like this before and it was good in a different way. I really liked the topic.
I liked how the author kept the reader in suspense with how the father died. It was done really well – not too much and just right.
I really liked how Grady thought Charlie was crazy for liking the birds as much as he did – they were just birds – until he found out why they were special and then Grady thought it was cool.
It all ended well which made me very happy. I love nice happy endings without anything sad associated with them.

Dislikes:

I wouldn’t have read it if it hadn’t been on all the lists. It’s not something I would have chosen for myself. There were some parts that were boring and I had to slog my way through it until it picked up again.
I don’t think Grady should have helped the starlings because he knew how much the purple martins meant to Charlie. He thought he knew better, but he obviously didn’t and his actions resulted in the death of one of Charlie’s favorite birds.

Buy: Wing Nut

Rating: 3.5 Treasure Chests

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by First Mate Keira

I first participated in Battle of the Books in fifth grade at elementary school. It was a real big deal because it the first time it was ever done in the county and my school wanted if not to win—then to beat out a lot of schools (and this was just the kid point of view!) and make a name for ourselves for next year.

Growing up, I lived in Florida where we have Sunshine State Books. The book list for our Battle of the Books was predetermined based on that year’s Sunshine State list. There were two tournaments one for the 5^th graders using the 3-5 reading list and one for the 6^th graders who used the 6-8reading list.

I remember that to qualify for the Battle of the Books you had to take Accelerated Reading tests and score 80% or better on half of the books on the list.

That year I read all the books on the Sunshine State list and passed them with 100% accuracy on the AR tests.

I applied. I was accepted and I met my teammates. Two teams were formed for each tournament with the idea that only one of each would make it to the real tournament. We would battle each other first and then other schools.

My team got together and figured out how to best approach the contest. We shared which books we had read and what books we loved and then chose books on which to become the experts and got reading packets. Every book was covered at least twice by two readers.

I went over my packets a lot and even asked for packets to other books covered by other team members. I really wanted to win and go to the real tournament!

Our school got the actual buzzers and equipment we would have to punch in on for the real deal as part of our practice run. I remember the competition being fierce and that all the 5^th grade classes were called into our lunch room where the stage was set up for the first battle against our fellow schoolmates. We won, but barely, and we knew we had to study more. The motivation to read and beat other schools was incredibly strong.

For the most part we got together after school. Usually once a week to talk to our advisor. As time got closer to the tournament we got to get out of reading time and meet up outside by the recess area to study together in twos and threes.

Studying basically consisted of quizzing each other from the packets which had some very adult type questions that broke down the book and got very nitty-gritty on details. We got to know our packets forward and backwards and all in between as we tried to stump each other, sometimes even going so far as to ask the questions in reverse by giving the answer and looking for the keywords in the question itself.

Then the day came for Battle of the Books. It was a real sweet deal. I can’t remember where we met exactly but I have a feeling it was where the school board met. Teams were isolated in their own rooms with their study packets waiting for their turn to battle. We all started off on the same foot and advanced through brackets to the final championship round.

We got there and our teams were tied. We were the best readers competing against each other and nobody dared missed a question. We ended up in a bonus tie breaker, which we won when I buzzed in and answered. I never felt more proud than I did that day!

I still have the Battle of the Books trophy. It’s displayed prominently on my shelves. Of course, now I use it as a bookend to hold all my books in place.

Do you have Battle of the Books at your school? Have you ever participated and is it anything like mine was? If not, how is yours set up?

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by First Mate Keira

Pop Your Top and Read days are some of the best days in elementary school. I remember looking forward to those days with gleeful abandon. In an effort to promote one of my favorite reading activities I’m going to talk a little more in-depth on what it is and how to get the maximum enjoyment out of it.

What exactly is Pop Your Top and Read?

Pop Your Top and Read is a reading activity put on by the home room or reading teacher in school. It is usually done in elementary education and not in the older secondary schools. Kids are invited to bring a drink and a book for a scheduled reading break during the day. Sometimes snacks or lunch is also involved—it’s a matter of preference on the teacher’s part.

When the scheduled reading time arrives the teacher announces to the class to put away their things and to grab their book and drink. Depending on the teacher the activity can be done in the classroom, in which case students will either stay at their desks or spread around the room to get in a comfortable reading position.

Other times it can be done outdoors like an extra recess. Kids will situate themselves around the playground or hallways and soak up the sun and breeze before cracking their books. Outdoor Pop Your Top and Read days are subject to the whims of the weather and you may have to adjust and head back indoors if it’s raining or snowing.

Most students, like I did myself back in the day, will bring a soda can or a can of juice. It makes it all the more satisfying when the teacher calls out “1, 2, 3!” everybody pops their tops at the same time. As I recall, it is a very satisfying sound!

Reading goes on anywhere from thirty minutes to an hour.

Why I Loved Pop Your Top and Read:

I love reading and an excuse to skip school work and dive into a book was always welcomed. What made Pop Your Top and Read most exciting though was getting to bring a can of soda into class, something not allowed under normal circumstances.

It felt so good because it was so forbidden back then, either because the school was relatively new and they were anxious to avoid cockroaches or because super sugary substances were just generally frowned upon back then. I know that makes me sound rather old, but I promise I’m not!

Do you have Pop Your Top and Read days at school? If you do, do you look forward to them?

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guestreview

by Second Mate Embry, guest reviewer

Title: The Kid Who Ran for President
Author: Dan Gutman
Format: Paperback
# of pages: 155
Grade Reading Level: 5.4, 6-8 grade

Summary: Judson Moon and Lane Brainard decided that they've had enough of adult decisions. They believe that a kid should have a shot at being the president of the United States. They get their campaign rolling and soon Judson Moon is on the ballot for being the next president of the United States. Will he become president? Or will he fail?

Why I Started the Book:

I remembered a few years ago my teacher assigned this book for me to read and that I enjoyed it a lot. So when I came across it again I thought I would reread it.

Likes:

I love the concept of a kid running for president! I wish that kids had the right to vote and run for president. Go kids!
Eventually Judson gets sick of running for president and during a national debate between the runners he comes up with juvenile answers such as – Q: “How do you feel about school prayer?” A: “Every morning I pray school will be closed.” and Q: “Which president do you admire most and why?” A: "Grover Cleveland because, he became president despite the fact he was named after a character from sesame street.” It was very funny!

Dislike:

Throughout the book I thought that Judson should have listened to Lane more than he did. It would have been wiser.

Buy: The Kid Who Ran For President (Paperback)

Book Rating: I give this book 4.5 treasure chests!
tc45

The Kid Who Ran for President by Dan Gutman (1996)

US $7.99

29d 21h 50m

Originally posted 2009-11-24 03:49:08.

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by Captain Lyaf Yarr

Title: Dork Diaries
Author: Rachel Renee Russell
Format: Hardcover
Page Count: 282
Grade Reading Level: Ages 9-12

Summary: Nikki is living a not so perfect life. She has to avoid her embarrassing family and the annoying mean girls at school. She also wants her crush to know that she exists and for not everyone to think of her as a dork. Surviving middle school isn't just a walk in a park for Nikki. Can she survive without dying of embarrassment, win the guy of her dreams, and become popular?

Why I Started the Book:

I got this book when I was at Books-A-Million and browsing through books. When I came across Dork Diaries I read the back and it reminded me on the Diary of a Wimpy Kid series so I thought that I would give it a try and I'm glad I did!

Likes:

This book (and the Diary of a Wimpy Kid series) was enjoyable for me to read because I could relate to them. They're both in middle school, aren't very popular, and have problems in and out of school. (Just like any other middle school student.) So it was fun to read.
I liked reading this book as a diary. I thought it was funny in inside of the book it says: This Diary Belongs to: Nikki J. Maxwell (No Snooping Allowed!!) It made me feel so sneaky!
This book was written exactly how a middle school girl would write. It's very good in that respect. You will find phrases like: OMG!, I was like JUST GREAT!, etc.
I liked the character Brandon. He was so sweet and didn't care what anyone thought, said, or who he hung out with. I especially liked when everything was going wrong for Nikki (she woke up late, had to rush to school, and her art project had been crushed under he dad's van) and with perfect timing Brandon comes out with an umbrella to come and comfort her.
I enjoyed all the illustrations. They were hilarious. They just pulled the book together. I especially liked the drawing of Brianna (Nikki's little sister) admiring Mackenzie's room.

Dislikes:

The ending was all so sudden. Mackenzie went from devil mean to best friends with Nikki (not really best friends but close) I just don't think that something could happen that fast and I wish the author told us how Mackenzie changed her mind and what she was thinking. It would have made more sense and I would have bought it more easily with an explanation.

Last minute thoughts: I really enjoyed this book and plan to pick up the sequels.

Buy: Dork Diaries: Tales from a Not-So-Fabulous Life

Book Rating: I give book 4.5 Treasure Chests!