Rebound by Kwame Alexander *

This novel in verse relates the events  in the summer of 1988 of Chuck Bell, Jordan and Josh's father,  from the 2015 Newbery Medal winner, The Crossover.  Twelve year old Chuck is reeling from his father's sudden death.  Not knowing how to handle him, his mother sends him to spend the summer with his grandparents.  With tough love from his grandfather, compassion from his grandmother and interactions with his competitive cousin Roxie, he begins to heal.  Then he is at the wrong place at the wrong time and lands in jail. 
The novel ends returning to 2018 when Chuck's boys, Jordan and Josh are about to graduate.
This book made me cry at parts, knowing that Chuck dies a premature death like his father (which takes place in The Crossover).
I love, love the adults in this book.  They face the issues Chuck is experiencing with tenacity and love, letting him suffer appropriate consequences. 
*Highly recommend for junior and high school (see "points to discuss").
-Borrowed from the library.
Points to discuss: death, attitude, lying/skipping school, drugs (pot), jail time, friend choices, briefly refers to an uncle's boyfriend

Dear Deer by Gene Barretta*

An ant writes to Deer, describing her new life at the zoo.  Her amusing letter is full of homophones.
My eight year old read this book during our study of homophones.
*Highly recommend.

My Deer is a Dear by Mary Elizabeth Salzmann

Very didactic
Homophone pairs are compared via sentences and photographs on a 2 page spread.
My eight year old read during our study of homophones.
-Borrowed from the library (more in the series).

Track #3 -Sunny by Jason Reynolds*

The day Sunny is born, his mother dies (amniotic embolism).  His father, whom he calls Daryl-never, ever dad-has been a stone wall.  The bright spots in his life are his homeschool teacher Aurelia and track.  Track, however, has become boring.  He runs the 1600 m and wins every time.  Boring.  So to spice up the meet one day, he walks and loses.  This choice commences some events which are painful yet beneficial.  One change is his relationship with his father and another change is in the event he trains for at track.
Sunny's personality comes alive on the pages as he writes in his diary.  This book brought some tears.
*Highly recommend. Love this series!  Not many books about track/field.
-Borrowed from the library.

The King Who Rained by Fred Gwynne

A young girl shares various expressions her parents use leave her puzzled.  Homophones and homonyms are featured in this humorous book.
My eight year old and I read and discussed this book to support his study of homophones.
-Borrowed from the library.

Love That Dog by Sharon Creech*

I read this novel in verse to my boys in the morning for our poetry reading.
Initially Jack does not like poetry and expresses his disdain for the genre to his teacher Miss Stretchberry.  The reader witnesses how his attitude towards poetry is transformed over the course of the story.  Gradually, the reader also learns about his dog Sky.
Poetry by actual people (like Robert Frost, Walter Dean Myers, Arnold Adoff, William Blake, Valerie Worth, and William Carlos Williams) is incorporated into the story as Jack learns how to write it.  Parts of the poems are included in the back.
*Highly recommend.
-I own this book.
My eight year old especially liked this book.
Strategy: connections, building schema for poetry, predicting

Hello Lighthouse by Sophie Blackall*

I absolutely loved this book.  The book shape (tall and narrow) reflects the subject. 
The illustrations are full of delightful details and depict the ebbs and flows of the life being lighthouse keeper. 
On the back end page Ms. Blackall shares interesting information about the history of lighthouse keepers and lighthouses.
Strategies: predicting, asking questions, inferring
**Highly, highly recommend.
-Borrowed from the library.

I Got It! by David Wiesner

A boy plays pick up baseball and dreams of catching a fly ball.
Mostly wordless.
Strategy: inferring
-Borrowed from the library.

Falling Down the Page Edited by Georgia Heard*

A Book of List Poems
A perfect mentor text when teaching how to write list poems.
A variety of poets included.
*Highly recommend.
-Borrowed from the library.

The Romans-Gods, Emperors and Dormice by Marcia Williams*

Ms. Williams retells Ancient Rome history via comic style drawings and writings.  A dormouse narrates on the sidebar and adds humor.
I read this aloud to my boys while we studied Ancient Rome.
*Highly recommend.
-Borrowed from the library.

Bolivar by Sean Rubin*

Sybil knows there is a dinosaur living next door to her in New York City, but no one believes. Everyone is too busy to pay attention.  Then someone does see him and draws attention to the dinosaur and all havoc breaks loose!  Can Sybil save her friend?
Wonderful illustrations!
*Highly recommend.
-Borrowed from the library.

Jabberwocky re-imagined and illustrated by Christopher Myers

Mr. Myers changes the setting and the hero's task in his version of Jabberwocky to the city streets/park and winning in basketball.
I read this with my two boys as we discussed context clues.
The library has this book placed in "young adult section".
-Borrowed from the library.

Graphic Nonfiction Julius Caesar The Life of a Roman General by Gary Jeffrey and Kate Petty illustrated by Sam Hadley*

From the time he was a young boy until his murder, the authors bring Julius Caesar's life to the reader in an engaging, exciting manner.
My eleven year old read this book to himself to support our study of Ancient Rome. 
*Highly recommend (especially for boys and reluctant readers).
-Borrowed from the library.

History News-The Roman News by Andrew Langley and Philip De Souza*

This series turns history events into newspaper articles.
We read a few articles to support our study of Ancient Rome.
*Highly recommend.
-Borrowed from the library.

Feet and Puppies, Thieves and Guppies: What Are Irregular Plurals? by Brian P. Cleary illustrated by Brian Gable*

Rhyming and humor introduce the different irregular plurals.
My eight year old and I read through this to discuss irregular plurals.
*Highly recommend.
-Borrowed from the library.

The Mysterious Benedict Society by Trenton Lee Stewart

I read this book years ago so my recollection of the specifics are a bit foggy.  My eleven year old just read it and enjoyed it.
An ad in a newspaper lures many children to take odd tests. If they pass, they will be sent on a mission with mind-bending challenges.  Only 4 pass.  These 4, Constance, Kate, Reynie and Sticky, encounter some dangerous missions and must escape from an evil adult.
Very exciting!
-Borrowed from the library.

Raising Grateful Kids in an Entitled World by Kristen Welch

How One Family Learned That Saying No Can Lead to Life's Biggest Yes
In a genuine, transparent manner, Mrs. Welch shares her family's transformation as they dared to be different in a culture that focuses on self.
Practical ideas are shared!
-Borrowed from the library.

Jabberwocky by Lewis Carroll illustrated by Graeme Base

from Through the Looking Glass
Mr. Base interprets Lewis' famous Jabberwocky poem through imaginative illustrations.
I read this aloud to my sons to discuss how context clues can help them figure out challenging words.
-Borrowed from the library.

Ancient Rome An Interactive History Adventure by Rachael Hanel*

You Choose Books
Both my eight and eleven year old read this book to themselves to support our study of Ancient Rome.
After reading it, my eight year old was able to summarize major factors for Rome's demise which we have not covered yet!
The reading level is easy enough for third graders but the content will appeal to up to junior high students. 
Tons of history packed into an engaging format.
*Highly recommend.
-Borrowed from the library.
Hi-Lo book-appeals to older student with lower reading ability.

One Foot Two Feet by Peter Maloney and Felicia Zekauskas*

An Exceptional Counting Book
A fun counting book that introduces irregular plural.
I read this with my eight year old to begin a discussion about irregular plurals.
*Highly recommend.
-I own this book.

Who Was Julius Caesar? by Nico Medina illustrated by Tim Foley*

A great biography series (plus historical location and historical events series).
An overview of Julius Caesar's early years, his rise to power and his eventually demise.
I read this simple biography to my two boys to support our study of Julius Caesar and Ancient Rome.
This series makes history come alive and gives access to history to younger readers and learners.
*Highly recommend.
-Borrowed from the library.

Ode to Commode Concrete Poems by Brian P. Cleary illustrations by Andy Rowland*

Humorous concrete poems!
The author provides recommendations on how to write concrete poems.
*Highly recommend.
-Borrowed from the library.

Contractions and Possessives by Kara Murray

I used this book to contrast contractions and possessives with my eight year old.  The book provides solid explanation in an easy to understand fashion.  The author included practice examples for each concept explained which I found beneficial.  Answers were in the back.
This book is most effective one-on-one: tutoring or homeschooling. 
-Borrowed from the library.

The Biggest Story by Kevin Deyoung illustrated by Don Clark

How the Snake Crusher Brings Us Back to the Garden
Mr. Deyoung shares the story of God and His wisdom from the Garden of Eden to the gift of the Holy Spirit in ten chapters.  He does not go into details for each story but provides a brief overview and the story's impact.
The illustrations are vivid and bold.
I read this aloud to my two sons ages 8 and 11 years old.  My 8 year old especially liked it.
-Borrowed from a friend.

The Word Collector by Peter H. Reynolds*

Jerome collects words.  One day his scrapbooks of words spill and as he sorts them he notices the fun, inspiring phrases they could make when strung together.
A simple book that delivers a powerful message-the importance of words and their ability to benefit the world.
My favorite sentence--"The more words he knew the more clearly he could share with the world what he was thinking, feeling, and dreaming."
*Highly recommend.
-Borrowed from the library.
Strategy: vocab., word choice

Doodle Dandies by J. Patrick Lewis illustrated by Lisa Desimini

A collection of concrete poems
-Borrowed from the library.

A Dazzling Display of Dogs Concrete Poems by Betsy Franco illustrated by Michael Wertz*

A great book for dog lovers!
These concrete poems celebrate dogs and their typical, funny behaviors!
I liked how Ms.Franco incorporated other forms of poetry into her concrete poems.
*Highly recommend.
-Borrowed via Inter Library Loan

Handsprings poems and paintings by Douglas Florian*

Poems that celebrate spring!
A definite mentor text (Spring is When . . . ; What I Love About Spring . . ; What I Hate About Spring . . .). 
*Highly recommend.
-Borrowed from the library.

Hey, You! Poems to Skyscrapers, Mosquitoes and Other Fun Things selected by Paul B. Janeczko illustrated by Robert Rayevsky*

A collection of poems that "talk" directly to ordinary objects.
*Highly recommend.
-Borrowed from the library.

Flicker Flash by Joan Bransfield Graham illustrated by Nancy Davis*

A collection of concrete poems centering on light (moon, sun, candle, firefly, match, lightning bolt etc.).
*Highly recommend.
-Borrowed from the library.