Rumble Review

Title: Rumble
Written by: Ellen Hopkins
Published by: Margaret K. McElderrly Books, 2014
ISBN: 978-1-4424-8284-5

This is a realistic fiction book about a boy named Matt who is struggling with the aftermath of his little brothers suicide. After relentless bullying, Luke committed suicide and this book highlights the struggles families go through after a life is taken. This book also brings up the topic of religion and atheism from a boy who, based on the recent events, no longer believes in a loving God.

First of all, if you have never read something by Ellen Hopkins, you need to stop reading this blog and pick up one of her books. Ellen Hopkins is a realistic fiction author and her books are all about teenagers who struggle with certain things in life. From drugs and addiction, to family issues and neglect, Hopkins touches so many people with the words she shares from the point of view of the characters. Her career started with her daughter becoming addicted to cocaine. Her first book, Crank, was based on the events of her daughters life. Hopkins takes the time to thoroughly study each book and the issues that are presented in each one. 

In this book, as well as all of the other Ellen Hopkins books, is written in poetry format. The book itself is not a collection of poems, but the text is published in a poetic way. The picture below shows an example of what I mean: 

As you can see, the text can be read in two different ways. You can read the page left to right, or you can read straight down ("the monster was great for a little while")

This book deserves a 5 out of 5 because it is so real and down to earth. The events in the book really hit home with some people and many teenagers and even adults can relate to the characters and the emotions felt in the story. It is a great book. The text makes it an easy read, although the content is far from easy to take. 

The Tot and the Pot Review

Title: The Tot and the Pot
Written by: Lili Henderson
Illustrated by: Chris Baldwin
Published by: Learning Page, Inc. 2005

 This decodable text is about a little toddler named Tom who finds a pot and decides to play with it! In the story, the phonics skill that is targeted is the short /o/ sound. With words like tot, pot, mop, and not, the author did a good job of giving many examples for beginning readers.


I really loved the pictures in this book! Most decodable texts are so focused on the limited vocabulary that there is not a lot of thought put into the actual pictures. Many times, the pictures are black and white but these pictures were really well done. The illustrator definitely put thought and time into creating these pictures for the book.

One of the suggestions I would have for the book is to add one more /o/ word. In the text, there is an older female character named Pam. Instead of naming her Pam, the author could have referred to her as mom which would have added another /o/ word! Any chance the author has the chance to add words that match the skill, they should definitely do it, without making the book seemed forced that is.

Overall, I think this decodable text deserves a 5 out of 5 because there is actually a slight plot in the book, and the pictures clearly had a lot of thought put into them.

Wanted: Best Friend Review

Title: Wanted: Best Friend
Written by: A.M Monson
Illustrated by: Lynn Munsinger
Published by: Dial Books for Young Readers, 1997
ISBN: 0-8037-1483-1

This book is about a cat and a mouse who like to play games together. Cat is a little selfish and only likes to play one game so mouse gets upset and leaves. After mouse leaves, cat writes an ad in the paper for a new best friend! After a few different animals come over, cat realizes that mouse is the best friend he could ask for and sometimes friends have to make sacrifices for each other! 

This is such a cute story and it really shows what it is to be a true friend and that it is important to treat your friends well. It also teaches to appreciate who you have before they are gone! The plot of this story is very good and it is important to teach children this message because kids can be so selfish at times! 

The pictures in this book by Munsinger are also done is a great way. She really captures the different characteristics for each animal who comes over to cats house. The way that mole is messy and gets food everywhere, the way otter is reckless, and the way that raccoon is careless. 

I think this book deserves a 5 out of 5 because of the message it gets across and they way that the pictures are done. Also a great book to keep in a classroom or even in the home to read to children.  

Monday, Wednesday, and Every Other Weekend Review

Title: Monday, Wednesday, and Every Other Weekend
Written by: Karen Stanton
Published by: Feiwel and Friends, 2014
ISBN: 978-1-250-03489-2

This book is a well written story about a little boy dealing with his parents divorce. It talks about how on Monday, Wednesday and every other weekend he and his dog live at his moms house. On the other days of the week, he spends his time at his dads. This book is a great resource for a child who might be experiencing a divorce or whose parents have recently gone through a divorce. This also might be a good book for the children whose parents were never married so they also experience the feeling of bouncing from house to house.

Another thing I really enjoyed about the book other than the plat were the ways the pictures were done. Aside from painting, it seems as though Stanton used collages and she also used snippets of newspaper print! The pictures were done very well.

I would give this book a 5 out of 5 because the pictures complement the text very well, and the plot is also something that can be helpful to children. This is a great book to have in a teacher library and for teachers to be aware of, especially if a student is going through a similar situation.

The Jolly Postman Review

The Jolly Postman
Written by: Allan Ahlberg
Illustrated by: Janet Ahlberg
Published by: Heinemann, 1986
ISBN: 9780316126441

This is a cute little story about a postman who goes to different fairy tale characters houses to deliver letters. He runs into many familiar faces including the three bears, the giant, the wolf, and many more! Each letter that he delivers comes in an envelope and can actually be taken out like a real letter! There are written notes, birthday cards, postcards and plenty of other mail items!

I love this book. I am a little biased because it was one of my favorite books growing up but that does not change the fact that it is great! This book is so cute because it takes a familiar concept like different fairy tales and gives them a fun twist. This book is a great way to introduce children to the concept of getting and sending letters. The fact that the letters can be taken out of the envelopes is probably my favorite part. The problem is that sometimes the letters can get lost if the book is used enough. The good news is that the letters are just added in so the book can still be read without them (just not as fun). The pictures in the book are great and the use of space works really well in this book.

I give this book a 5 out of 5 because honestly, I think it is great even now as an adult! Great quality, great pictures, and still interactive! Definitely one to keep in your classroom and in your home.