The First and Final Voyage: The Sinking of the Titanic Review

Title: The First and Final Voyage: The Sinking of the Titanic
Written by: Stephanie Peters
Illustrated by: Jon Proctor
Published by: Stone Arch Books, 2008
ISBN: 978-1-4342-0444-8

This book is about a boy named Christopher who is going onto the Titanic with his mother and younger brother. The family is traveling to America to see their father but suddenly, the ship hits an iceberg. 

This book was alright. Again, I think it would be more appealing to boys and people who are visual learners. To me, graphic novels in general usually seem too busy to me unless it is tastefully done (like Diary of a Wimpy Kid).

I would give this book a 4 out of 5

Diary of a Wimpy Kid Review

Title: Diary of a Wimpy Kid
Written and Illustrated by: Jeff Kinney
Published by: Amulet Books, 2007
ISBN: 978-0-8109-9313-6

This book is about middle schooler Greg Heffley. His mom bought him a diary to write in. Wait, not a diary, a JOURNAL. This book follows Greg through all of his adventures as he tries to brave the halls of middle school and does his best to survive another day as a wimpy kid.

I love this book so much! I read it before and I still think it is hilarious. It is so easy to relate to and Kinney has such a way with words that everything he says just makes you smile. 

I give this book a 5 out of 5. I especially love how many boys are into it including my little brother who dies not like to read anything!

Star Trek Countdown Review

Title: Star Trek Countdown
Written by: Mike Johnson & Tim Jones
Illustrated by: David Messina
Published by: IDW Publishing, 2009
ISBN: 978-1600106422

This book is the movie version of Star Trek as a graphic novel. The entire book is divided up into four characters points of view: Nero, Spock, Data, and Picard.

I am not a huge fan of Star Trek and I thought this book was a little busy with all the frames. Because of this, I give this book a 3 out of 5. I am sure it appeals to readers who are really into Star Trek and to boys, but to me I would not read it again.

Dogku Review

Title: Dogku
Written by: Andrew Clements
Illustrated by: Tim Bowers
Published by: Scholastic Inc., 2007
ISBN: 978-0-545-10959-8

This book is about a stray dog who finds a family! The catch is that this entire book is written in Haikus! 

I thought this was a cute book and a way to show Haiku in a realistic way. I would give this book a 5 out 5 because it has great illustrations and is a cute way to show kids how they can use Haikus to write a story.

Where The Sidewalk Ends Review

Title: Where The Sidewalk Ends
Written and Illustrated by: Shel Silverstein
Published by: Harper Collins
ISBN: 0-590-13469-8

This is Shel Silverstein's first collection of poems and it is fantastic! There are so many hilarious poems in this book including "Sick", "Snowman", and " True Story."

Shel Silverstein will always be my favorite poet! All of his poems make me laugh out loud and he is so clever. This book definitely deserves a 5 out of 5 and I will be reading poems by Shel Silverstein in my classroom all the time!

My Dog May Be a Genius Review

Title: My Dog May Be a Genius
Written by: Jack Prelutsky
Illustrated by: James Stevenson
Published by: Harper Collins, 2008
ISBN: 978-0-06-623862-3

This is a book full of poems all written by Jack Prelutsky ranging from sitting doing nothing, to unusual hobbies! Theses poems are sure to make you laugh.

I would give this book a 5 out of 5 because these poems are funny and easy to share with a class. I personally prefer Shel Silverstein though! But wither way, Prelutsky's works are something to keep in the classroom and at home.

I Survived: The Shark Attacks of 1916 Review (Historical)

Title: I Survived: The Shark Attacks of 1916
Written by: Lauren Tarshis
Published by: Scholastic Inc., 2010
ISBN: 978-0-545-20695-2

This book is about a young boy named Chet who lives in New Jersey in 1916 right around the time a shark attacked and killed 4 people. Chet goes to the lake and is bumped by something that has a gray fin... Will he be the 5th victim?

This was an easy read and it was also really good! There is a whole series for the "I Survived" books and all of the ones I have read are well written and interesting to read. 

I would give this book a 5 out of 5 and I will be sure to keep this series in my classroom.

Civil War on Sunday (Historical)

Title: Civil War on Sunday
Written by: Mary Pope Osborne
Published by: Scholastic Inc., 2000
ISBN: 0-439-13762-4

This book is about Jack and Annie who travel to the Civil War and work with Clara Barton to help heal wounded soldiers. This book also includes non fiction components and facts that Jack reads out of a book.

I absolutely love the Magic Tree House books, so I have to give this one a 5 out of 5. Osborne always does a great job of integrating information into her historical fiction books!

The Invention of Hugo Cabret Review (Historical Fiction)

Title: The Invention of Hugo Cabret
Written and Illustrated by: Brian Selznick
Published by: Scholastic Inc., 2007
ISBN: 978-0-439-81378-5

This book is about a boy named Hugo who is an orphan and turns the clocks at a train station. One day he is caught stealing and the man takes Hugo's notebook full of peculiar drawings. Little does Hugo know, this man is about to change his life forever. 

This was an awesome book. We also looked at it in class as a graphic novel, but the content in the book is about a real man named Georges Méliés who was a film maker.

I would give this book a 5 out of 5 because the illustrations are breath taking and the writing is out of this world. Definitely one to use in the classroom.

Who Was Marco Polo Review (Informational)

Title: Who Was Marco Polo?
Written by: Joan Holub
Illustrated by: John O'Brien
Published by: The Penguin Group, 2007
ISBN: 978-0-448-44540-3

This is a biography of Marco Polo written for children. There are pictures and child friendly text throughout the book that make it fun to read while learning all about Marco Polo.

I loved this book because of how age appropriate it it. Some of the names in the biography (such as Confucius) are hard for kids to read so the author even included how to sound out the names in the book! 

I would give this book a 5 out of 5. There are other books in the series too, all of which should be in a classroom to get kids interested in some informational texts.

What's the Big Idea, Ben Franklin Review (Informational)

Title: What's the Big Idea, Ben Franklin?
Written by: Jean Fritz
Illustrated by: Margot Tomes
Published by: PaperStar, 1976
ISBN: 0-698-11372-1

This book is a brief biography of Benjamin Franklin and it tells of the things he invented in his life and the type of person he was.

I thought this book was pretty boring, actually. There was no cute story line, it was basically just a straight biography of Ben Franklin told in children's language.

I would give this book a 1.5 out of 5 because I was bored the whole time reading it and I would not read it again. However, if someone who is really interested in history wanted to read this book, they might find it better than I did. 

George Did It Review (Informational)

Title: George Did It
Written by: Suzanne Tripp Jurmain
Illustrated by: Larry Day
Published by: The Penguin Group, 2006
ISBN: 978-0-7569-8161-7

This book is a funny story of how George Washington did NOT want to be President of the United States. But he did anyway! 

I think this was a very good book because it included many different fun facts that I personally did not know about! The author also included a bibliography in the beginning of the book so that everyone can see where she got her information.

I would give this book a 5 out of 5 because the content is great and a funny way to look deeper into our first president.

Meet Felicity Review (Historical Fiction)

Title: Meet Felicity
Written by: Valerie Tripp
Illustrated by: Dan Andreasen
Published by: Scholastic Inc, 1991
ISBN: 0-590-45986-4

Meet Felicity is a book that comes with an American girl doll! Felicity is a girl living in the colonial period and she never quite fits in. She does not like to stitch and she wishes she could take off her petticoats and run! Everything changes for Felicity when she sees a horse who is being abused by an old man. Felicity has to make a decision: to risk her life to save another? Or to stay away and keep herself safe?

This book is cute and I love that there are pictures included every few pages. The book also includes little pictures in the margins to help readers understand any words that they might not always come across (like breeches and stockings)

I would give this book a 5 out of 5 because of the visual aids and the illustrations. Also, because it is a great idea to put books with such a popular toy! What a great way to encourage children to read.

Battle Bunny Review

Title: Battle Bunny
Written by: Jon Scieszka and Mac Barnett
Illustrated by: Matthew Myers
Published by: Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers, 2013
ISBN: 978-1-4424-4673-1

This book was originally a birthday gift to a boy named Alex from his Grandma. But Alex decides to take matters into his own hands and recreate the cute birthday book into something much darker. Now, the book is no longer called "Birthday Bunny" it is called "Battle Bunny!"

This book was actually a little hard to follow. Since it has the qualities of a young boy crossing out words and drawing in pictures, there are actually two stories in one. You can still read the "original" text about the birthday bunny underneath the marker used to cross out the words. It is a funny book and a cool concept but the book does seem a little busy now. I would definitely appeal to the boys in the classroom though!

I would give this book a 4 out of 5 because of the fact that it was a little hard to follow. Other than that I love the concept and the content.

The Giver Review

Title: The Giver
Written by: Lois Lowry
Published by: Houghton Mifflin, 1993
ISBN: 0-395-64566-2

This book is about a young man named Jonas who lives in a utopia in the future. He has been assigned the job of the Receiver which means that he will be given all of the past memories from the town. These are memories of hurt, of weather, of colors, and many more. Jonas will need to prepare himself for the memories that will eventually cause him to see how dysfunctional his town actually has become. 

I loved reading this book because I love this genre! Hunger Games, Divergent, The Giver, these books are all a part of my favorite genre so I really enjoyed reading this book. Lois Lowry does a fantastic job of painting a picture with his words and the book is full of twists and surprises.

I give this book a 5 out of 5! Everyone should read this book and there should be multiple copies in every upper elementary classroom!

Twilight Review

Title: Twilight
Written by: Stephenie Meyer
Published by: Little, Brown and Company, 2005
ISBN: 978-0-316-16017-9

This book is about 17 year old Bella Swan who moves to a small town in Washington during her junior year of high school. When she moves to the town she meets a strange boy named Edward Cullen. Turns out, this small town has some secrets of its own, and the closer Bella gets to Edward, the sooner she will realize not everything is as it seems. 

I love this whole series! It is a saga, so there are four books in the series and I think all of them are brilliant. This book is either hit or miss for readers so either you will love it or hate it. Personally, I love it and most of the people I have talked to love this book just as much. 

I would recommend this book for high schoolers and up since some of the books have sexual content. I would rate it a 5 out of 5 for fantasy!

Honey...Honey...Lion! Review

Title: Honey...Honey...Lion!
Written by: Jan Brett
Published by: G.P Putnam's Sons, 2005
ISBN: 0-399-24463-8

This is the tale of two animals, the honeyguide bird and the honey badger. The two of them work together to get honey, but one day honey badger does not want to share! So the next day honeyguide tells honey badger she found honey far away, but she tricks him!

This book was okay. The pictures were fantastic, but the content was a little strange. The way the book was worded, especially in the beginning, was weird but it did get better as the book went on. I think it had a good moral at the end: Be kind to your friends and share or they will get you back!

I would give this book a 4 out of 5. The redeeming factor for me are how beautiful the pictures are. 

Stone Soup Review

Title: Stone Soup
Retold by: Marcia Brown
Published by: Simon & Schuster Children's Publishing Division, 1947
ISBN: 0-684-92296-7

This book is an old folktale about three soldiers who come into a town looking for food and shelter for the night. All of the townspeople are greedy and hide their food from the soldiers. The three soldiers have to find a way to find food in the town and they come up with the perfect plan: stone soup.

I thought this book was a little weird to be honest. It was funny because of how the soldiers tricked the townspeople but the ending was very anticlimactic. 

I would give this book a 3 out of 5. It is not a bad book, but I probably would not read it again or recommend it for any classrooms.

The Legend of the Bluebonnet Review

Title: The Legend of the Bluebonnet
Retold by: Tomie DePaola
Published by: G.P Putnam's Sons, 1983
ISBN: 0-399-20937-9

This book is an old Native American tale about why there are bluebonnets in Texas. It tells about a little girl who sacrificed what she loved most to save her people.

This tale is very nicely retold by DePaola and it is a great story of why flowers grow in Texas every year! It also has a nice moral at the end.

I would give this book a 5 out of 5 and would recommend it to all children and families alike. It is a fun tale and it teaches kids that sometimes you have to give up the things you do not want to give up in order to help other people.

Bridge to Terabithia Review

Title: Bridge to Terabithia
Written by: Katherine Paterson
Published by: Harper Collins, 1987
ISBN: 978-0060734015

This realistic fiction book is about a young boy named Jesse who finds an unlikely friend in the strange new girl who moves into the neighborhood. Together, they create a world of their own in the woods: a magical kingdom named Terabithia. 

This is a book that every person, teacher or not, should read at some point in his or her life. It has a great plot and some really hard issues to tackle. It can also be used in a classroom for multiple reasons.

I would give this book a 5 out of 5 because Paterson did a great job with the content and the details. I would recommend this book to upper elementary school students and middle school students.

Speak Review

Title: Speak
Written by: Laurie Halse Anderson
Published by: Douglas & McIntyre Ltd.
ISBN: 978-0-374-37152-4

This book is about a freshman girl named Melinda who has a terrible secret. She is being shunned by the entire school because she called the cops at a party during the end of summer. The problem is no one will listen to the reason why.

This book is wonderfully written and a must read for all students in high school and up. Since the content is very mature, I would not recommend this book to anyone younger than eighth grade. 

I would give this book a 5 out of 5 because of how powerful it is and how great of a job Anderson did at portraying a high schooler who just wants to be heard.