Cranberry Mystery by Wende and Harry Devlin*

My boys and I love the Cranberryport books!
Our county library does not own this one so we borrowed it from another library in the state. 
Valuable items are being pilfered around Cranberryport.  The deputy offers a $100 reward to anyone who can catch the thief.  Mr. Whiskers really could use the $100 for a motor on his boat.  When the thief steals his Annabelle, the carved figurehead from his grandfather's ship, his greatest treasure, Mr. Whiskers sets out, determined to find this menace.  He and Maggie venture out following a hunch and find themselves in quite a predicament!
A very exciting story with a satisfying ending!
*Highly recommend.
-Borrowed from as an interlibrary loan.

The Great Dictionary Caper by Judy Sierra illustrated by Eric Comstock*

Words escape from the dictionary, permitting the reader to examine different types of words.  Noah Webster and Peter Mark Roget are featured. 
Very educational but fun and humorous!
Types of words discussed: onomatopoeia, action verbs, I, contractions, homophones, antonyms, palindromes, archaic words (we loved trying to determine their meanings and then using them in sentences!!), proper nouns, anagrams, rhyming words, words that don't rhyme with anything, interjections, and conjunctions.
A glossary offers formal definitions for the different word categories plus what the archaic words mean.
*Highly recommend.
-Borrowed from the library.

Unoffendable by Brant Hansen*

How Just One Change Can Make All of Life Better
At first I thought this book was about managing anger.  It, however, made me think about other aspects of the Christian faith.
Mr. Hansen delves into the topics of grace, love, pride, and worry with humor and honesty.
*Highly recommend.
-Borrowed from a friend.

John Ronald's Dragons The Story of J. R. R. Tolkien by Caroline McAlister illustrated Eliza Wheeler*

This biography about J. R. R. Tolkien is the first picture book one I have seen.
Wonderful illustrations!
The biography mostly focuses on Mr. Tolkien's childhood with tidbits of him falling in love, going to war, teaching and beginning to write The Hobbit.
The author and illustrator offer additional fascinating facts on the "Author's Note" and "Illustrator's Note". 
*Highly recommend.
-Borrowed from the library.

Adventures in Color-Hailstones and Halibut Bones by Mary O'Neill illustrated by John Wallner*

As we wrote poems featuring color this week, I read aloud a couple of poems from this collection.
A great mentor text.
*Highly recommend.
-Borrowed from the library.

At the Sea Floor Cafe by Leslie Bulion illustrated by Leslie Evans

Various types of poems about fascinating sea creatures.
After each poem the author offers facts about the featured sea creature.
A glossary of sea creature terms and explanation of types of poems used are included in the back.
To fully appreciate the poems, I would suggest reading the poem, reading the facts and then rereading the poem. 
-Borrowed via Inter Library Loan as the public libraries in my county did not own it.
I read aloud Ms. Bulion's poems about insects to my boys.  I liked that collection better bu it may be because I have more schema for insects!

Fun with Roman Numerals by David A. Adler illustrated by Edward Miller III*

When we began our study of Rome, we read through this book together.  How to write thousands and hundred thousands was included which was new to my eleven year. 
*Highly recommend.
-Borrowed from the library.

One Fun Day with Lewis Carroll by Kathleen Krull illustrated by Julia Sarda*

A Celebration of Wordplay and a Girl Named Alice
Ms. Krull's tone is playful and fun as she writes this biography about Lewis Carroll which aptly depicts Carroll's view of life.  He wrote for amusement, not a moral which was unheard of at the time.
All the words that he invented are highlighted in the text,  and their definitions are explained at the end.
*Highly recommend.
-Borrowed from the library.

Wise Guy by M.D. Usher illustrated by William Bramhall

The Life and Philosophy of Socrates
In narrative form, the author shares the life of Socrates.  A second text box offers more details and more in depth about the main focus of the page.
A multi-age picture book.
Warning: Socrates dies from drinking poison hemlock.
-Borrowed from the library.

Cleopatra by Diane Stanely and Peter Vennema*

Through a narrative structure, the authors share the life of Cleopatra VII from the time she was eighteen and until her death at age thirty-nine.  During her lifetime she helped rebuild Egypt into a powerful country and was able to attract two Roman rulers.
A lot of information about Rome, Egypt, the intrigue, and rulers at the time are provided in this picture book.  The preface, note on ancient sources, the map and epilogue offer additional facts.
The illustrations are rich and beautiful. 
*Highly recommend for older elementary and junior high (see warnings).
Points to discuss/warning: multi-wives, "lived as man wife"-not really married; murder; attempted suicide/suicide



 

The Empress and the Silkworm by Lily Toy Hong

Ms. Hong shares the legend how the empress Si Ling-Chi realized how the cocoon from the silkworm can be unwound and utilized as thread to create silk.
Engagingly written.
I read this book aloud to support our study of Ancient China.
-Borrowed from the library.

Turn of the Century by Ellen Jackson illustrated by Jan Davey Ellis*

Eleven Centuries of Children and Change
Beginning in the year 1000 and ending in 2000, the author shares how children spend their days every 100 years.  Children either reside in England or the United States.
 A wonderful opportunity to observe progress and change!
Whimsical, dynamic illustrations.
*Highly recommend.
-Inter-Library Loan (the libraries in my county do not own this book).

Brave Jane Austen by Lisa Pliscou illustrated by Jen Corace*

Reader, Writer, Author, Rebel
Readers will learn a great deal about Ms. Austen's childhood and her experiences as a young adult.  I liked the extra information pages which contain quotes from her books and other famous people's comments about her.
A delightful book!
*Highly recommend.
-Borrowed from the library.
Pair with Ordinary, Extraordinary Jane Austen by Deborah Hopkinson.

A Seed is the Start by Melissa Stewart *

National Geographic Kids
This book's layout is fabulous.  All the pages are appealing and draw in the reader.  Beautiful, interesting photographs.
Ms. Stewart presents a lot of information how seeds spread in an engaging manner.  My boys and I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book.
I also appreciated how this book could be used for multiple ages.  For toddlers and preschoolers, the reader could just read the headings and simplify the rest of the text by narrating the photographs.  For older children, all the text can be read.
*Highly recommend.
-Borrowed from the library.
Pair with A Seed is Sleepy by Dianna Hutts Aston.
Strategy: Main idea

Building the Great Wall of China by Allison Lassieur*

An Interactive Engineering Adventure
You Choose Books
Readers learn about the building of the Great Wall of China during the First Emperor's reign or during the Ming dynasty.
Readers can decide from three different paths-a. be a peasant forced to work on the wall b. bricklayer c. architect
Love this series!
My eleven year old read this to himself during our study of Ancient China.
*Highly recommend.
-Borrowed from the library.

When God Made You by Matthew Paul Turner illustrated by David Catrow*

Sarah Mackenzie featured Mr. Turner on a recent podcast so I decided to check out one of his books.  Initially I was just going to read it to myself because I thought it would be too babyish for my boys.  After reading it, however,  I decided its message was too precious to keep to myself!
Through rhyme, the author repeatedly points out that God loves each of His creations and has created them uniquely with a purpose.
*Highly recommend.
-Borrowed from the library.

The Silk Route by John S. Major illustrated by Stephen Fieser

7,000 Miles of History
Mr. Major takes readers to every major stop in the silk route and explains the probably trading that would have occurred.
Very interesting!
I read this book aloud to my boys during our study of Ancient China.
-Borrowed from the library.

The Chinese Thought of It : Amazing Inventions and Innovations by Ting-xing Ye*

A very informative text about how the Chinese have contributed to our day to day tools and technology.
We looked through this book when we began our study of Ancient China.
*Highly recommend.
-Borrowed from the library.