Ms. Wall's Recommended Reads
To better support your independent reading, both at home and at school, please browse some of the novels I have suggested below. Though I have read most but not all of the select books, students and teachers highly recommended these titles. Also, keep in mind that browsing and selecting new novels will be a regular part of our discussions throughout the year. Happy reading.
"Ive traveled the world twice over,
Met the famous; saints and sinners,
Poets and artists, kings and queens,
Old stars and hopeful beginners,
I've been where no-one's been before,
Learned secrets from writers and cooks
All with one library ticket
To the wonderful world of books.
~ Anonymous ~"
Recommendations for the Beginning of the Year
Please Write in This Book
"This book will suit both boys, girls, and even adults, I’m sure. It’s
funny, and contains views from all possible characters. The interesting
people and plot keep your eyes glued to the pages. Mary Amato has
created a book for positively everyone. Ms. Wurtz decides to place an
empty notebook in the Writers Corner of her classroom. The kids love
writing in the book, but they don’t always get along. It’s a lot of fun
to read the hilarious views of Luke and the bold words Lizzy wants to
get out there. The kids have a number of adventures-there is the Stinky
Feet Experiment, and the different styles of cute drawings are just
making the book better. This story is quite the read. I suggest you
check at your library, got to the bookstore, just find the book!"
http://girlknowsbooks.com/2011/02/09/please-write-in-this-book/
http://girlknowsbooks.com/2011/02/09/please-write-in-this-book/
Seedfolks
This novela (short novel) does a great job of reminding us how important communities are. It's full of wisdom, beautiful language and brave characters. If you are a student who values other points of view or enjoys characters who are forced grow by learning about themselves and others, this is a good choice for you.
"Seedfolks is about the transformation of an empty lot in Cleveland into a community garden and about the transformation of the neighborhood's residents as they get to know each other and participate in creating this garden."
http://www.edutopia.org/blog/literature-tool-community-building-classroom
"Seedfolks is about the transformation of an empty lot in Cleveland into a community garden and about the transformation of the neighborhood's residents as they get to know each other and participate in creating this garden."
http://www.edutopia.org/blog/literature-tool-community-building-classroom
The Library Card
Jerry Spinelli has written some of my favorite most beloved books including Maniac Magee. The library card is actually a collection of short stories about a magical library card that forever changes the lives of students who have become sick and tired of school and all the endless work. This is a great book that will leave any reader captured by the magic of reading a good novel.
"In the first story in which we meet Mongoose and Weasel, two friends who are always getting into trouble (stealing, spray painting, ditching school) until Weasel finds the magical library card and gets turned on to learning."
http://www.edutopia.org/blog/literature-tool-community-building-classroom
"In the first story in which we meet Mongoose and Weasel, two friends who are always getting into trouble (stealing, spray painting, ditching school) until Weasel finds the magical library card and gets turned on to learning."
http://www.edutopia.org/blog/literature-tool-community-building-classroom
The Misfits
"A marvelous story of friendship, The Misfits chronicles the efforts made by a group of outcasts to elect one of their own as student council president. Their goal is to force the teachers at their school and their peers to recognize them as worthy individuals. Throughout the tale the kids evolve as they take their protest against labeling and name-calling to a whole new level."
taken from: http://www.carnegielibrary.org/teens/books/showbooklist.cfm?catid=6&list=middlereaders
taken from: http://www.carnegielibrary.org/teens/books/showbooklist.cfm?catid=6&list=middlereaders
Recommendations for History Lovers
Number the Stars
"How brave are you, little Annemarie?" Uncle Henrik asks his ten-year-old niece. It is 1943, and to Annemarie Johansen, life in Copenhagen is a complicated mix of ordinary home and school life, food shortages, and the constant presence of Nazi soldiers. Bravery seems a vague virtue, one possessed by dragon-slaying knights in the bedtime stories she tells her younger sister, Kirsti. Too soon, she herself is called upon for courage."
taken from: http://www.loislowry.com/number_stars.html
taken from: http://www.loislowry.com/number_stars.html
The Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing
"In the afterword, Anderson writes that if he had written "a fantasy novel", Octavian would have built his own utopia. Escaping the battle between the rebels and the redcoats, he "would orchestrate the desperate clash of these two great nations and engineer the toppling of both governments. There would be gargantuan, cleansing battles, and in their wake, our heroes would found a new realm."
Taken together, the two parts of The Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing form a long, complex and often uncomfortable narrative, which will demand stamina, concentration and a wide vocabulary from any reader. None of that should dissuade teenagers - or anyone else - from reading these exceptionally interesting and imaginative novels"
taken from: http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/2009/jan/17/books-children-octavian-nothing-anderson
Taken together, the two parts of The Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing form a long, complex and often uncomfortable narrative, which will demand stamina, concentration and a wide vocabulary from any reader. None of that should dissuade teenagers - or anyone else - from reading these exceptionally interesting and imaginative novels"
taken from: http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/2009/jan/17/books-children-octavian-nothing-anderson
Listening For Lions
"After the influenza epidemic of 1919 leaves her an orphan, Rachel -- the daughter of missionary parents living in Africa -- is manipulated by neighbors into traveling to England and assuming their dead daughter's identity. How will Rachel make things right?"
taken from: http://www.carnegielibrary.org/teens/books/showbooklist.cfm?catid=6&list=historicalfiction
taken from: http://www.carnegielibrary.org/teens/books/showbooklist.cfm?catid=6&list=historicalfiction
Recommendations for Thrill Seekers
The Face on the Milk Carton
"Fifteen-year-old Janie Johnson's life is turned upside down when she notices the picture of a missing girl on the back of a milk carton. A girl named Jennie Spring, with red hair much like her own, was kidnapped twelve years ago. Janie wonders if she could be this face on the milk carton when other questions about her own past begin to arise. Why has she never seen her own birth certificate? Are her parents not really her parents?"
taken from: http://litsum.com/face-on-the-milk-carton/
taken from: http://litsum.com/face-on-the-milk-carton/
Ring of Fire: Century Quartet, Book One
"Elettra, Harvey, Mistral, and Sheng were all born on February 29. They meet by accident in Rome one holiday season when they are 12 years old. A power outage draws them outside their inn before they even have time to get acquainted. When a man gives them a briefcase just before he dies, of course they open it -- and then try to figure what the contents mean. Over a couple of days, they undertake a quest for an elusive Ring of Fire, follow clues all over the city of Rome, meet some eccentric characters, and learn a lot about ancient philosophy. Elettra reveals a secret power to them, one that helps them escape from the assassin who wants that briefcase, but doesn't stop Mistral from being kidnapped."
taken from: http://www.commonsensemedia.org/book-reviews/ring-fire-century-quartet-book-1
taken from: http://www.commonsensemedia.org/book-reviews/ring-fire-century-quartet-book-1
Bridge to Terabithia
"After Jesse has spent his entire summer practicing to become the fastest runner in the fifth grade, he expects to win the race. However, to Jesses surprise, he loses the race to a girl! The girl, Leslie, pays no attention to the fact that she has beaten every fifth grade boy. Then, Jesse and Leslie become the best of friends. The two of them create a fantasy kingdom, Terabithia. This fantasy kingdom is far away from all of their troubles. While Jesse and Leslie are in their fanatsy land, they read stories, share their secrets, and deepen their friendship. Jesse and Leslie teach each other many things, and Jesse finally learns to accept who he is. Bridge to Terabithia is an amazing story dealing with a strong friendship. Children will appreciate this friendship and be able to relate to Jesse and Leslie in more than one way."
taken from: http://teen-books.com/Bridge_to_Terabithia_0064401847.html
taken from: http://teen-books.com/Bridge_to_Terabithia_0064401847.html
Recommendations for Fantasy Lovers
Inkheart
"Meggie's father used to read to her, but when she was five her mother went away, and he stopped. It's not until she's twelve that Meggie learns the reason why: when Mo reads aloud, he can read characters out of books. And when he reads a character out, someone or something from the real world goes in. Now Meggie and Mo are on the run from an evil character from a book called Inkheart, who is trying to force Mo to read out a horrible monster. Can Meggie and her father escape from Capricorn? Or will Capricorn force them to do his bidding"
taken from: http://www.carnegielibrary.org/teens/books/showbooklist.cfm?catid=6&list=middlereaders
taken from: http://www.carnegielibrary.org/teens/books/showbooklist.cfm?catid=6&list=middlereaders
Recommendations for Animal Lovers
Shiloloh
"Marty Preston's had a moral code all his life. His family's taught him that you never steal, you never lie, and you never cheat. But when a beautiful young beagle follows him home one day and he later realizes that the dog's owner is the mean-hearted, animal hating Judd Travers, Marty realizes that the difference between right and wrong isn't always clear"
http://www.carnegielibrary.org/teens/books/showbooklist.cfm?catid=6&list=middlereaders
http://www.carnegielibrary.org/teens/books/showbooklist.cfm?catid=6&list=middlereaders
When I look back, I am so impressed again
with the life-giving power of literature.
If I were a young person today, trying to gain a sense of
myself in the world, I would do that again by reading,
just as I did when I was young.
~ Maya Angelou ~
with the life-giving power of literature.
If I were a young person today, trying to gain a sense of
myself in the world, I would do that again by reading,
just as I did when I was young.
~ Maya Angelou ~
Recommendations for Sports Lovers
Tangerine
"Paul Fisher can see things his parents can't, like how evil his older brother, Erik the football star, really is. He can see this even though he has been legally blind since an early-childhood accident he can't remember.Now his family has moved to the bizarre town of Tangerine, where muck fires burn forever, lightning strikes at the same time each day, and half the school disappears into a sinkhole one afternoon. Paul's memories are starting to return--memories that lead to shocking revelations about his family. Meanwhile, he plays on the soccer team with the toughest Latino kids at school, kids who are beginning to accept him as one of their own."
taken from: http://www.commonsensemedia.org/book-reviews/tangerine
taken from: http://www.commonsensemedia.org/book-reviews/tangerine
Reading, after a certain age, diverts the mind too much from its
creative pursuits. Any man who reads too much and uses his own
brain too little falls into lazy habits of thinking.
~ Albert Einstein ~
creative pursuits. Any man who reads too much and uses his own
brain too little falls into lazy habits of thinking.
~ Albert Einstein ~
Recommendations for Nature Lovers
Hatchet
"After a plane crash, thirteen-year-old Brian spends fifty-four days in the wilderness, learning to survive with only the aid of a hatchet given him by his mother, and learning also to survive his parents' divorce."
taken from: http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk/p/gary-paulsen/hatchet.htm
taken from: http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk/p/gary-paulsen/hatchet.htm
Hoot
"Roy's family moves a lot so he's used to the new-kid drill - and to bullies like Dana Matherson. And anyway, it's because of Dana that Roy gets to see the mysterious running boy - who runs away from the school bus and who has no books, no backpack and, most oddly, no shoes. Sensing a mystery Roy starts to trail the runner - a chase that will introduce him to many weird Floridian creatures: potty-trained alligators, some cute burrowing owls, a fake-fart champion, a sinister pancake PR man and some snakes with mysteriously sparkly tails. Suddenly life in Florida is looking up!"
from: http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk/h/carl-hiaasen/hoot.htm
from: http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk/h/carl-hiaasen/hoot.htm
Out of Dust
"Set in Oklahoma during the Dust Bowl, this is the story of 14 year old Billie Jo. Told in diary form as a series of free-verse poems, the book is a realistic portrait of the Depression-era with entries dated from the winter of 1934 through the winter of 1935. Readers explore the hardships of living on a family wheat farm. Billie Jo's mother dies after an accident with burning kerosene and Billie Jo blames herself and her father for her mother's death. Billie Jo is a talented pianist, but is reluctant to play after burns scar her hands. She leaves home, but soon learns how much "dust" is a part of her. We can almost feel the heat, dust, and wind as she struggles to survive a difficult time."
taken from: http://eduscapes.com/newbery/98a.html
taken from: http://eduscapes.com/newbery/98a.html