Graphic Novel 3

Wonderstruck

A story of two characters set fifty years apart.  Both of the characters, Ben and Rose are searching for family.  Ben is looking for his father that he has never known and Rose is looking for her famous mother who abandoned her.  Along the way their lives intersect.  Is there a connection there?

Rating 5 out of 5 stars.  This is a type of graphic novel where half the story is pictures and half the story is words.  Ben's perspective is told solely is written text, while Rose's perspective is told solely in pictures.  This is a great story and has a lot of depth to it.  Although it is written by the same author and in the same style as The Invention of Hugo Cabret, it is not a sequel.

Title: Wonderstruck
Author: Brian Selznick
Publisher: Scholastic
Publication: 2011
ISBN:  9780545027892

Graphic Novel 2

Storm of the Century:  A Hurricane Katrina Story

When Ricky gets a camera for his birthday he is excited to take pictures of everything.  A day later, he is forced to evacuate his New Orleans home because of the danger that is Hurricane Katrina that is on the way.  Stranded in the Superdome, Ricky wonder if he will ever see his dog, Bowzer, again.  To keep occupied he records all his memories with his camera.

Rating 4 out of 5 stars.  This is a simple graphic novel that is also historical fiction. This is a great way to get kids interested in history y presenting it in a format that they love to read.  Each page spread is chapter book text and a graphic novel picture to tell the story.  This book tells about the story of a 14 year old, but he and the text seem too young for that age.  There is also no solid ending other than to say that the family got on a bus to eave the city.  The Hurricane is not very thoroughly described.

Title:
Author: Stephanie Peters
Publisher: Stone Arch Books
Publication: 2009
ISBN: 9781434211644

Graphic Novel 1

Dork Diaries #2 Tales from a Not-So-Popular Party Girl

This is the second book in the dork diaries series based off the extremely popular Diary of a Wimpy Kid series.  These are the diaries of non popular middle schooler Nikki Maxwell.  Nikki wants to go to the Halloween dance with her crush so she signs up with her friends for a committee to help. Unfortunately, her school nemesis MacKenzie steps up to humiliate her.  Nikki finds herself stuck with multiple priorities on Halloween:  face painting at a child's party, chairing the dance, hanging with friends, and dancing with her crush.  Will she make it all work out or will it be a big dorky flop?

Rating 5 out of 5 stars.  In this "girl version" of Diary of a Wimpy Kid, there are very short sentences and paragraphs.  The writing looks like handwriting and there pictures on almost every page.  This is a very popular book series for kids.  I have not actually ever read Diary of a Wimpy Kid, although I plan on it, so I do not know what age level it is.  However, this book series would be best for fifth and up because it would be more relatable to kids in middle school, although the content and writing can possible go lower.  It looks like a long book, but I was able to read it in a hour.

Title: Tales from a Not-So-Popular Party Girl
Author:  Rachel Renee Russell
Publisher: Aladdin (Simon and Schuster Branch)
Publication: 2010
ISBN:  9781442440425

Poetry 3

My Dog May Be a Genius

In this collection of poems by Jack Prelutsky, we jump all over from poems about a genius dog to food, to animals and everything in between.  One of my favorite poems in this collection is called I'm Glad I'm Me which celebrates each reader.

I'm glad I'm me, I'm glad I'm me,
there's no one else I want to be.
I'm happy I'm the person who
can do the things that I can do.

If I were someone else, then I
would feel so strange, I'd wonder why.
I'm positive that I'd be sad--
but I am me, and I am glad. 

Rating 5 out of 5 stars.  This is a another great collections of poems for children.  It is funny and engaging and more relatable for children.  It is a great way to get children excited about reading poetry.  This is mostly likely for second graders and above grades; even adults can enjoy these poems.

Title:  My Dog May Be a Genius
Author: Jack Prelutsky
Publisher: Green Willow (Harper Collins Branch)
Publication: 2008
ISBN:  9780066238623

Poetry 2

Dogku

When Mooch comes to the back steps of a house he is unsure whether he will allowed to stay.  When the children leave for school Mooch gets into a little trouble.  Will Mooch be welcomed into the family?  This is a story form book that is written solely in haiku.  This is a different kind of poetry book because it revolves around an actual story.

Rating 4 out of 5 stars.  This is a book for younger children probably about second grade and younger because of the simplicity and simple wording.  It is a cute story and introduces children to poetry in a small subtle way through haiku. However, the story does not exactly flow at all times because of the haikus.  I liked the book, but it did not really seem like a poetry book.

Title: Dogku
Author: Andrew Clements
Publisher: Scholastic
Publication: 2007
ISBN: 9780545109598

Poerty 1

Falling Up



This is a wonderful anthology of children's poems written by the renowned Shel Silverstein.  It starts off with a poem about a boy who fell up rather than down.  This book has a collection of some of the funniest poems all for kids ranging from food to school to pets and even more silly things.

I tripped on my shoelace
And I fell up-
Up to the roof tops,
Up over the town, 
Up past the tree tops,
Up over the mountains,
Up where the colors 
Blend into the sounds.
But it got me so dizzy
When I looked around,
I got sick to my stomach
And I threw down.

Rating 5 out of 5 stars.  The poems featured in this book are funny and sometimes laugh out loud hilarious.  All of these poems are kid friendly and good for children to adults.  For children who do not like poetry, Shel Silverstein will make students want to read this genre.

Title: Falling Up
Author: Shel Silverstein
Publisher: Harper Collins
Publication: 1996
ISBN: 9780590996894

Historical Fiction 3

I Survived The Attacks of September 11, 2001

When Lucas skips school to visit his Uncle Benny in the middle of New York City, he witnesses the very event many of us remember so clearly: a plane crashing into the World trade Center.  Wandering around New York alone, Lucas runs into his father, a NYC firefighter, who heard Lucas came to visit his uncle.  Right there in the middle of the city Lucas experiences that terrible day the reshaped United States history.

Rating 5 out of 5 stars.  This book tells the story of what happened on 9/11 in a more child friendly way.  It gives facts, but does not make things too scary.  It is strange to think that this event needs a book written about it since it is in our lifetime, but for most children this was a few years or more before they were born.

Title: I Survived The Attacks of September 11, 2001
Author:  Lauren Tarshis
Publisher: Scholastic
Publication: 2012
ISBN: 9780545207003