Piper by Emma Chichester Clark*

My nine year old and I thoroughly enjoyed this well-told story about Piper, the sweet dog.  Piper's mother teaches him to obey his master, to look both ways when he crosses the street and to help anyone in danger.  When he is old enough to have his own master, he is wary of Mr. Jones.  Mr. Jones is grumpy and cold.  Because Piper does not rid his garden of rabbits, Mr. Jones beats him, calls him names and abandons him in a shed.  Fortunately, Piper escapes and finds a delightful home.

Warning: This book is not for very sensitive kids.  Mr. Jones is cruel.  An elderly lady is almost hit by a car and is injured (taken away in an ambulance). 
*Highly recommend.
-Borrowed from the library.

Mr. Squirrel and the Moon by Sebastian Meschenmoser*

My nine year old and I found this book quite humorous!
Another book recommended by Sarah Mackenze at Read Aloud Revival.
One morning Squirrel finds the moon sitting on his tree branch.  He spends the rest of the day trying to return it to the sky where it belongs.  Humorous events ensue, making Squirrel more convinced he will end up in jail for stealing the moon!
Strategy: inferring
*Highly recommend.
-Borrowed via Inter-Lib Loan (My county does not own it.) .
Another book recommended by Sarah Mackenzie.

Badger's Perfect Garden by Marsha Diane Arnold illustrated by Ramona Kaulitzki*

A sweet, sweet book!
Another book that Sarah Mackenzie recommended on her "book of the week" feature. 
Badger has saved seeds from the previous growing season and carefully plants them in an organized garden.  Then the rains come . . . heavy downpours which wash away his seeds.  He bemoans to his friends how his hard work has been a waste. 
His friends are delighted to show him a surprise later that summer.
Strategies: connections, predicting
*Highly recommend.
-Borrowed from the library. 

The Rough Patch by Brian Lies*

Evan, the fox, loves his dog  and spends every waking minute with him.  Together they grow a beautiful garden.  Then his dog dies.  Evan shuts himself off from others and becomes bitter and angry.  Will he remain in this "rough patch" forever?
A story of hope amidst devastation. 
Mr. Lies is an incredible artist who depicts objects with such accuracy and detail.  The hues darken when Evan is experiencing his deep sadness and anger.
*Highly recommend.
A good book to read when a child is mourning the loss of a pet or a loved one.
-Borrowed from the library.
Another book mentioned on Read Aloud Revival.

Hats off to Mr. Pockles! by Sally Lloyd-Jones illustrated by David Litchfield

Sarah Mackenzie on Read Aloud Revival featured this book as a "book of the week".
Mr. Pockles loves hats and fills his house with them.  He, however, is lacking friends.  One day when he enters Treat House to enjoy the Bun of the Month, he meets a very important panda, Lady CoCo Fitz-Tulip.  She is wearing a gigantic fruit hat. When baby bunnies devour and eventually destroy her hat, she is devastated.  Mr. Pockles decides to help out and makes many friends that day.
A sweet story!
Strategy: predicting
-Borrowed from the library.

Save Me a Seat by Sarah Weeks and Gita Varadarajan*

I read this book aloud to my nine year old.  He loved it.
Ms. Weeks and Ms. Varadarajan alternate writing the chapters.  Ms. Weeks tells the story from Joe's point of view and Ms. Varadarajan shares Ravi's story.  They seamlessly weave together the boys' stories and create a satisfying ending. 
Joe has Auditory Processing Disorder.  For years he has endured the scorn and teasing from the class bully, Dillon Samreen. To make his situation worse, his mother now has job as a cafeteria monitor.  She sees first hand the bullying and tries to intervene, only to make Joe's circumstances dire.
Ravi has moved from India to New Jersey with his parents and grandparents.  In India he was a top student and athlete, and also very popular.  Now he finds himself frustrated at teachers' and classmates' lack of understanding of him and his culture.  Will he ever adjust to America, and will he find a friend?
The chapters are short.  The plot moves quickly.  I like how the book is divided up based on the school's lunches. 
I appreciated the glossaries for both of the boys.  Each author also included a recipe that represents each of the boys' cultures!  My son wants to make both recipes (Apple Crisp and Naan Khatais).
--**Eating peanut M and Ms during or after this book is a must!!
Points to discuss/Warning: bullies, cruelty, inferred swearing  Dillon is kleptomaniac and hides his stolen items in the front of his pants.
*Highly recommend (for 4th grade and up).
-Borrowed from the library.

The River by Peter Heller

Jack and Wynn, best friends since freshmen orientation, decide to spend some months canoeing a river into the Hudson Bay.  They imagine idyllic weeks fishing, reading, talking and picking blueberries in the Canadian wilderness.  They, however, do not anticipate a forest fire, encountering some raunchy drunk men or witnessing a couple arguing.  A day later they interact with the man from the couple. He claims his wife has disappeared.  Jack and Wynn, compassionate young men, decide to retrace their path and try to locate the wife.  But people and situations do not always seem as they first appear.  Whom can they trust or believe?  In a moment their peaceful adventure has turned into a terrifying experience where they are struggling just to live.
I loved the description of nature throughout this book . . . I felt like I was there, enjoying the serene wilderness.  The poetry and beauty woven into this novel also really appealed to me.  I also adored Jack and Wynn.  Mr. Heller deftly integrates Jack's and Wynn's family background into the narrative.
 This book made me cried, and I was sad by its ending.
I did not appreciate all of the swearing nor the fact that both Jack and Wynn chew tobacco.
-Borrowed from the library.

Still Life by Louise Penny

Chief Inspector Armand Gamache is called to investigate a murder in a cozy, close-knit village south of Montreal called Three Pines.
At first the Inspector and other investigators believe that Jane Neal's death was a hunting accident.  But as they dig into the evidence and interview the villagers, they realize someone intended for her to die. 
I loved the quaint village of  Three Pines and the gentle yet uncompromising Inspector Gamache.  The quirky characters were appealing.  One couple , however, is homosexual.  The inn they own together is central to the village.  At the end of the book, the reader can infer that a fourteen year is struggling to tell his father that he is gay and more of his story will be told in later books in the series.
-Borrowed from the library.

No Longer Little by Hal and Melanie Young

Parenting Tweens with Grace and Hope
There are few books that discuss tweens.
I found this book insightful and practical. 
From a Christian perspective and from hands on experience (They have eight children!), Mr. and Mrs. Young give insight about what is occurring in a tween's mind and the different conflicts and situations that arise during these years. 
-Borrowed from the library

Yu the Great by Paul D. Storrie illustrated by Sandy Carruthers

Graphic Universe
Conquering the Flood
In graphic format, Mr. Storrie shares the legend of Yu who frees China from continuous floods.
Perfect reluctant readers.

An Artist's Alphabet by Norman Messenger

A very unusual alphabet book.
Some of the pictures do not begin with its corresponding letter (or maybe I was missing the meaning of the picture?!!). 
-Borrowed from the library.

Once Upon a Time . . .by Alan Garner illustrated by Norman Messenger

I was looking for another one of Norman Messenger's books and came upon this book in the library.
Three unusual folktale-like stories entertained my nine year old and me one evening.
They had us puzzling and marveling!
-Borrowed from the library.

Noah's Ark adapted by Linda Falken

The Metropolitan Museum of Art
From Genesis, Chapters 6-9
Words are from the King James Version of the Bible
Beautiful art by various famous artists enhance the words.
-Borrowed from the library.

The Ascendance Trilogy #2 The Runaway King by Jennifer Nielsen*

I first read book one in this trilogy, Th e False Prince, when my oldest was in preschool. I absolutely loved it and knew that I would be recommending it to him when he was a tween/junior high.  This year he read the trilogy and enjoyed it!
This review is about book two since I just read it (My son asked me to!  I usually do not read an entire series because I have so many titles I want to read!!). 
Just a few weeks after Jaron has taken the throne of Carthya, someone tries to assassinate him.  He flees his kingdom to confront his enemies, using his trickery and cleverness to become one of them. 
Lots of excitement and adventure!
*Highly recommend (and the entire trilogy).
-My son owns it (a Christmas gift from Nana!).

Greathall Productions Inc.-Shakespeare for Children as told by Jim Weiss*

We really enjoy Jim Weiss' retellings of great literature.
This CD contains A Midsummer Night's Dream and The Taming of the Shrew.
Wonderful stories to introduce children to Shakespeare!
*Highly recommend.
-Borrowed from the library.

Because of the Rabbit by Cynthia Lord

I read this book aloud to my nine year old son.  Since he is relational and loves animals, I figured this book would appeal to him.  He did in fact love it!
All of her life Emma has been homeschooled.  For her fifth grade year, however, she decides to give public school a try.  Her older brother Owen began public school the previous year and adjusted well (He is full of advice!).  The truth is, she misses him and their days together.  Homework, his friends and sports occupy most of his attention.
The night before she begins public school her father, a game warden, receives a phone call concerning a rabbit stuck in a woman's fence.  When she and her father go to rescue it, they soon realize that this rabbit was someone's pet.  They take it to the animal shelter, but no one has reported a rabbit like this one.  With a bit of persuasion, Emma convinces her father to allow her to keep the rabbit until someone claims it.
The book focuses on Emma adjusting to public school, making friends, and discovering what kind of friend she wants to be.  Jack, a student in Emma's class, is autistic. 
The fifth grade pettiness annoyed me (but Ms. Lord is accurately portraying this tumultuous time!).
I appreciated Ms. Lord's insight about her inspiration for the book. 
*Highly recommended by my nine year old.
-Borrowed from the library.

The Korean Cinderella by Shirley Climo illustrated by Ruth Heller

Pear Blossom is loved by her mother and father.  When her mother dies, the father marries a widow who has a daughter, Peony.  Of course, the stepmother and stepdaughter are cruel to Pear Blossom like  the typical Cinderella story. A magical animals assist Pear Blossom throughout the story.  When she walks to a festival, she loses her straw sandal.  The magistrate sees her fleeing and retrieves the sandal.  He seeks the owner and all ends happily.
Beautiful illustrations (well researched-Ms. Heller visited Korea in order to accurately depict the Korean culture). 
Warning/point to discuss: I thought that the stepmother and stepdaughter were especially cruel to Pear Blossom.

Cendrillon by Robert D. San Souci illustrated by Brian Pinkney*

I liked this Cinderella version because it had some different elements added to it.
First of all, the fairy godmother tells the story and she is an actual godmother.  There is also some humor mixed in with it.
*Highly recommend.
-Borrowed from the library.

Sootface An Ojibwa Cinderella Story retold by Robert D. San Souci illustrated by Daniel San Souci

This story was primarily a tale of the Northeast and Great Lakes tribes, although there is a variant in the Southwest. 
A widely traveled tale among the Native Peoples.
When the mother dies, the two older sisters abuse the youngest sister and make her do all of the work. 
When the sister of a mighty warrior from across the lake announces that her brother is looking for a woman to marry, young women are full of hope and glee.  The catch?  No one had ever seen him except for his moccasins hanging by the wigwam.  The woman who can see him and who can describe his bow and bow string may marry him. 
A typical Cinderella ending.
-Borrowed from the library.

Vasilisa the Beautiful A Russian Folktale illustrated by Anna Morgunova

The reader learns a lot about the Russian culture through this folktale.

A Russian Cinderella

-Borrowed from the library.

Legends of the World-The Golden Slipper retold by Darrell Lum illustrated by Makiko Nagano

A Vietnamese Legend
A typical Cinderella story set in Vietnam. 

Domitila adapted by Jewell Reinhart Coburn illustrated by Connie McLennan

Full page illustrations are beautiful.
When Domitila's mother falls ill, her father sends her to work in the Governor's mansion as a kitchen worker.  The Governor's eldest son, Timoteo, is impressed with her nopales.  When her mother dies, Domitila returns home and soon finds herself being a servant to a stepmother and stepsister.  Meanwhile, Timoteo sets out to find the girl who makes such delicious food and does everything with excellence.
Sweet sayings about love, work ethic, and kindness adorn the borders of the text pages (Spanish on the top with the English translation on the bottom).
-Borrowed from the library.

Tattercoats by Flora Annie Steel illustrated by Diane Goode

When a lord loses his daughter as she is giving birth to his granddaughter, he despises the granddaughter.  He ignores her and leaves her in poverty.  She spends her day with a crippled gooseherd.  When the king gives a ball, the granddaughter travels with the gooseherd to the ball and encounters a kind, wealthy man.  Her destiny changes at that moment.
-Borrowed from the library.

Into the Woods by Robert Burleigh paintings by Wendell Minor

John James Audubon Lives His Dream
In preparation of visiting Mill Grove, my nine year old and I enjoyed this picture book about John James Audubon.  In rhyme, the text reveals tidbits about Audubon's development as an artist.  On the same page, there are excerpts from his journal to support the text.  His journal entries are displayed in cursive font to offset them from the rhyming text.
-Borrowed from the library.

Classic Fairy Tales illustrated by Scott Gustafson*

Beautiful, intricate illustrations featuring Goldilocks and the Three Bears, Puss in Boots, Little Red Riding Hood, Snow White, Tom Thumb, Hansel and Gretel, The Frog Prince, Rumpelstiltskin, Cinderella, and Three Little Pigs.

The 13 Clocks by James Thurber illustrated by Marc Simont*

This book is probably one of the strangest books I have read in a long time, but I loved it!
I read it aloud to my boys in only three reading aloud times.  They would beg for one more chapter throughout our time!
An evil Duke has frozen time (the thirteen clocks) in his castle and keeps his niece, Saralinda, sort of captive.  Any prince who tries to win her hand ends up dead.  Is there a prince who can break the spell and free Saralinda?
The writing is superb, humorous, shocking and poetic. 
Very clever and creative.
My sons and I agree that this is a book we will not forget! 
My twelve year old's favorite character was the Golux.
Strategy: asking questions
*Highly recommend.
-Borrowed from the library.

The Gift of the Crocodile by Judy Sierra illustrated by Reynold Ruffins

A Cinderella Story which takes place in the Spice Islands, Indonesia
Damura endures the scorn and abuse from a stepmother.  When she loses her sarong in the river, a crocodile retrieves it and thus begins a special relationship between the two.  Little does Damura realize that her kindness and respect that day will save her life in the near future.
A very unique Cinderella story with an interesting twist.
I appreciated Ms. Sierra's Folklore Note in the background.
-Borrowed from the library.

The Little Green Girl by Lisa Anchin

Another book of the week from Sarah Mackenzie-Read Aloud Revival
Mr. Aster is very rigid and dependable.  He likes his routine and schedule.  His gardens are meticulous and beautiful.  When he plants Little Green Girl, however, his way of viewing life and living it are turned upside down . . .for the better!
I love the end pages (Mr. Aster's notes from his gardening notebook)!
-Borrowed from the library.

Watersong by Tim McCanna illustrated by Richard Smythe

Readers follow a fox through a rainstorm.  He also meets a "Mrs. Fox" and a family life is brought into the world!
The entire story is told via onomatopoeia!
On the last page the author discusses habitats, watersheds, ecosystems and the water cycle.
This book was one of Sarah Mackenzie's book of the week from Read Aloud Revival.
-Borrowed from the library.

The Poetry of US edited by J.Patrick Lewis

Any book National Geographic publishes is beautiful!  This poetry book is stunning.
These poems celebrate the United States of America and its diverse people and places.  Mr. Lewis divides the poems into the regions in which they represent- New England, Mid-Atlantic, Southeast, Midwest, Great Plains, Rocky Mountain West, Pacific Coast and even the Territories.
Great resource to utilize when studying the different states.
On the resource page is a bibliography of wordplay books for children.
Warning/points to discuss- one poem infers the use of the "n" word for African American, a couple of gay pride poems.

The Great Cake Mystery by Alexander McCall Smith illustrated by Iain McIntosh*

I read Alexander McCall Smith's first book in his series The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency years ago and thoroughly enjoyed Precious, the main character.  Now young readers can enjoy Precious as a children and solve her first cases with her.

I read this aloud to my nine year old in one sitting.  We both thought it was excellent and delightful!
Special treats are being stolen in Precious' school.  The children are not too fond of the lunch (the same menu every. single. day.!) so they pack a treat to enjoy after lunch.  A couple of the children blame Poloko, an overweight boy, for stealing their treats.  But there is no evidence.  Precious is determined to figure out who is really taking the treats, and along the way befriends Poloko.

The children learn (and the reader) the importance of not jumping to conclusions and to not make accusations without evidence.
Precious is a nice and friendly character.  Her disposition adds a lightness and warmth to the story.

I appreciate how Mr. Smith includes how to pronounce the characters' names within the story.  It annoys me when I have no idea how to pronounce a character's name!  He also includes a character guide, geography guide of Botswana, pre-reading, during reading and post reading questions , curriculum connections (reading guide/curriculum connections prepared by Connie Rockman) and a sponge cake recipe in the back.

Four books in this series.
*Highly recommend.
-Borrowed from the library.

Celebrating Pennsylvania by Jane Kurtz illustrated by C.B. Canga

50 States to Celebrate
Level 3-Green Light Readers
I read this book aloud to my nine year to give an overview of PA history.  It provides lots of information about Pennsylvania's history and also its geography and modern day information.  At the bottom of each page is a "Did You Know?" fact.  At the end there are several informational pages-Fast Facts, Dates in PA History, and a glossary.  An entire page offers five meaningful activities to reinforce the learning.
My son could have easily read this book to himself, but I wanted to read it with him so we could discuss the facts.
A perfect series for transitional/ independent readers who are learning about the fifty states.
-Borrowed from the library.

Our Fifty States by Ron Wheeler

100+ reproducible pages
For each state, Mr. Wheeler has dedicated one page of information and then on the back of that page, he has designed an activity page focusing on that state.
The state pages are organized in alphabetical order.  In the back are worksheets about the geography of the U.S. and capital and state motto activities.  There is an answer key in the back.
-Borrowed from the library.

You Wouldn't Want to Explore with Sir Francis Drake! by David Stewart illustrated by David Antram

My boys really enjoy reading this series to support our history units.
Humor abounds within the context of history.
This one shares the adventures and raids led by Sir Francis Drake during the reign of Elizabeth I. 
Was he a pirate or privateer?!
-Borrowed from the library.

The Language of Birds by Rafe Martin illustrated by Susan Gaber*

My favorite podcast is Read Aloud Revival with Sarah Mackenzie.  The other day I listened to an older podcast (#10) with Heidi Scovel.  I checked out Heidi's blog, Mt. Hope Academy, and found a plethora of interesting books.  The Language of Birds was one she recommended. 
It was very well received by both my boys!
A wealthy merchant gives his two sons ten coins and encourages them to go out into the world and try make a profit from them.  Vasilii, the oldest son, spends his coins foolishly on pleasure while Ivan spends the week with birds, learning their language.  He does not spend any of his coins.  When the sons return to their father, Vasilii lies and says he used his money to forge friendships with important individuals.  Both Vasilii and the father look upon Ivan with scorn when he shares how he spent the week.  When Ivan reveals what a wren is chirping at that moment, they erupt in anger, for the wren was prophesying that Ivan would be a prince, and the father and brother would serve him.
A very engaging, well written story.
I wish more picture books like this one were published now . . .without an agenda-just a solid, well written story.
*Highly recommend.
-Borrowed from the library.