Sideways Stories from Wayside School

     Sideways Stories from Wayside School by Louis Sachar is one of my favorite children's books.  Wayside School is a silly school that holds thirty classrooms, thirty stories high.  The students in Mrs. Jewls class are on the thirtieth story. 
     I love the kids in the class, but my favorite story is Mrs. Gorf.  She is an evil teacher that hates children and turns them into apples.  Everyone thinks she is a wonderful teacher because she always has so many apples on her desk.  Everyone knows that kids only bring apples to good teachers, right?  The apples and the last few children fight back in a surprising way.
     The stories are short, have great illustrations by Julie Brinckloe, and are funny.  It is a great book for kids just getting into chapter books or reluctant readers who have low reading levels.  It's also good just to enjoy as a quick read with your favorite child - my favorite way to read it! 

Winter Garden

     Winter Garden by Kristin Hannah is an amazing book.  It truly changed me as a woman and mother. 

     By living through the Siege of Leningrad as a young wife and mother, Vera is forced to make decisions that no woman should ever have to make.  She faces devastating losses and manages to keep living because that is what the women in her life have taught her to do.  Guilt and heartbreak close her heart to a relationship with her daughters.  Her husband's dying wish is for her to tell their daughters a fairy tale that she began and never finished.  Like all fairytales, this is the only hope for love and redemption.

     Kristin Hannah is an incredible writer.  Her writing is lyrical and poignant, while staying realistic and believable.  Reading her words made me feel like I was in the fairytale world of Peter's Window to the West.  Like the girls, I waited breathlessly to hear more of the fairytale that could only be told in the dark of night.  Kristin also put the two stories together seamlessly.  Although the ending was a bit hard to believe, I was very thankful she chose the ending she did because I loved the characters as if they were myself and Vera deserved her ending. 

     I often read books for young adults, but this book is written for adults - both content and the depth of life you need to understand the characters.  This book is my new favorite book.  It is a powerful book - especially for women.

Among the Hidden

     My class just finished reading Among the Hidden by Margaret Peterson Haddix. 
     Luke is one of the Shadow Children; the 3rd child born in a family.  In this futuristic world, overpopulation has caused mass starvation and famines.  To alleviate these issues, the government has forbidden many things: pets, junk food, and more than two children per family. 
     Luke is forced to hide day after day in the attic looking out vents at the world he can't be a part of in any form.  Life changes for Luke when he discovers another third child hiding in the house behind his house.    
     After breaking into her house and a few minutes of danger, Luke and Jen become best friends.  Like the best friendships, the two are opposites.  Where Luke is fearful and timid, Jen is defiant and strong-willed. 
     Jen is planning a rally where thousands of shadow children will walk in front of the president's house to free the children. Luke must decide if he is willing to risk his life for his freedom. 

     Since this was our last book of the year, I let my students vote on the book they wanted to read.  The kids loved it!  They couldn't wait to read everyday.  They got very attached to the characters, so much so that one chapter brought many of the girls to tears.  It also led us to great discussions about food shortages, world population, and the One Child Policy in China.  

     It is a great book for reluctant readers, but they will need some scaffolding on the underlying issues in the book about Totalitarianism, government control, overpopulation and what people will do for their freedom. 

     I loved this book and plan to read the sequel because I need to know what happens to Luke.  I love this kid! 

The Help

     A friend of mine recommended this book to me.  It took me a while to read it because I had so many other books and projects going on at the same time.  I think that was a good thing because the slow pace seemed to fit the south where the book takes place.
     I learned a lot about the Civil Rights Movement that I didn't know before.  I knew that there were different public bathrooms, but I didn't know that black maids were not allowed to use the same bathrooms in the houses they cleaned.  The scene with Mae Mobley being toilet trained and her mother's reaction shocked me.
   I enjoyed seeing the different points-of-view of the women in the book, but it also made the book less personal for me.  Just as I got attached to one character, we switched to a new character.  It made me feel like an observer, rather than one of the characters. 
     I read the miscarriage scene when I was very sick and unable to leave the bathroom myself.  I felt as if the scene was happening around me.  This scene horrified me and I will never forget it. 
     One of the things I didn't like about the book was that we hear about how dangerous life is during this time.  We hear of people being blinded, beaten, and even killed.  However, we hear about it second hand, so it loses its emotional impact on the reader.  The women in the novel are taking a huge risk and nothing bad happens to them, only to other people.  This seemed contrived to me.  It also seemed to take away from their bravery because it made it seem like it wasn't that big of a risk, when they were truly risking their lives. 
      I was horrified by the prejudice in the book.  Unfortunately, I don't think we have come very far still today.  This book made me think about racism and the ways we treat people. 

The Strange Case of Origami Yoda

     I love this book by Tom Angleberger.  I love Yoda anyway, but this book was hilarious.  I laughed out loud through the entire book.  It is an easy read and has lots of cartoon illustrations to go with the story.
     Dwight is a nerdy sixth-grader that wears a Yoda finger puppet on his finger.  Yoda gives amazing advice, and like the real Yoda, the advice doesn't make sense at the time but is totally on the mark. 
     I loved reading about the sixth graders and found myself remembering similar things that happened to me when I was a sixth grader just starting middle school. 
     I loved the chapter with the dueling Yodas.  Another fun part of the book is that it contains the directions to create your own origami Yoda in the back of the book. 
     This book is great for any Star Wars fans, 3rd-6th graders or reluctant middle school readers.  It is easy to read, funny, and has interesting characters.

Daniel X Demons and Druids

     I am a huge fan of Daniel X, but Demons and Druids Daniel X was a big disappointment.  James Patterson seemed to forget what we loved about Daniel X - the humor, the quirky characters, and the original storylines.
     Nick and I hardly laughed at all in this sequel and that was one of the things we loved best about Daniel in the earlier books. 
     Daniel wasn't his usual quirky self.  He was extremely boring.    
     The storyline had us travel back in time to battle an alien in King Arthur's time with Arthur and Merlin.  When the alien comes forward in time, Daniel defeats him with Stonehenge.  I bet you didn't see that coming, right? 
      The other stories were fun and original and made us fall in love with Daniel.  If you already love Daniel, don't read this book.  If you don't already love Daniel, there isn't really a point to read this book at all. 

I Am Number Four

    

     I am Number Four is written by Pittacus Lore - a pseudonym for James Frey and Jobie Hughes. 
     When Mogadorians attack the peaceful world of Lorien, the guardians take eight small children into a ship and leave for Earth.  The Mogadorians follow them to Earth to  kill the children.  Besides their guardians, the children only have one small protection - they can only be killed in order unless they are together in one location. 
     The first three children are dead when the book begins, and John is number four.  John is now 15 and beginning to develop special legacies that will make him harder to be killed. 
     In the meantime, he needs to stay in hiding from the Mogadorians.  John's guardian, Henri, warns John to fly under the radar, but John falls madly in love with Sarah.  Mark, her old boyfriend, bullies John, trying to break up John and Sarah.
     Stange things are happening that alert the Mogadorians to John's location.  Who will win the epic battle?  Will Sarah be able to handle John's past?  Will John's legacies develop in time to protect him from the Mogadorians' wrath?
     I am Number Four is a great book for reluctant readers.  The first half of the book was a bit slow for me, but my students loved the whole thing.  They enjoyed the love triangle between John, Sarah, and Mark.  They also enjoyed the bullying at the beginning that led to John's first legacy. 
     Once Henri leaves town to find news about the Mogadorians, the book had one thrill after another.  I did not want to put this book down. 
     My favorite character was John's dog Bernie Kosar because he was so original and endearing.  My favorite part of the book was finding out about Sam.  He is a shy teen who is obsessed with alien abductions.  He is certain his dad was abducted by aliens and misses him terribly.  Sam even wears his dad's Coke-bottle prescription glasses so he can see the world through his dad's eyes. 
     I really enjoyed this book and can hardly wait for the sequel.  It is a great book for teenagers who don't like to read, as well as teens and adults who do like to read.