The Family Under the Bridge by Natalie Savage Carlson illustrated by Garth Williams

*Award Winner- Newbery Honor Book
Armand is a content hobo in Paris.  He has his spot under the bridge and his routine.  One evening he discovers a single mother with her three young children under HIS bridge.  He is indignant and tries to distance himself from them.  Before long he finds his heart warming to the children and making them promises to ease their anxiety. 
A sweet story with wonderful ending!
Points to discuss: homelessness, gypsies/hobos (not familiar terms today)
-Borrowed from the library.

Holes in the Sky by Patricia Polacco

I loved Miss Eula in Ms. Polacco's book Chicken Sunday.  
This newest book by Ms. Polacco shares when she first becomes friends with Stewart and Miss Eula.  As always Ms. Polacco utilizes descriptive words that enable the reader to feel part of the story.
Trisha, her mom and her brother move to Oakland, CA after Trisha's Babushka passes away.  Babuska had told Trisha that the stars in the sky are really just holes  and when one dies, he/she passes through those holes to heaven.  She promised that when she died, she would send a sign that she is watching over them through the holes. 
Trisha looks for a sign and almost loses hope, when the sign is not deniable and right in front of her!
A lovely story about loss and friendship.
I don't agree with the characters' theory about the loved ones watching over us.
-Borrowed from the library.

Mighty Jack by Ben Hatke

Jack must watch his younger sister, Maddy, for the summer.  Maddy is autistic and does not talk.  So when she tells Jack to buy a case of odd looking seeds, Jack listens to her because she actually talked.  Together they maintain the garden but evil lurks and threatens the wonderful summer.
Mr. Hatke has taken the original Jack and the Beanstalk and transformed it into a modern story.
The book ends on a cliff hanger but the sequel will not be published until September 5, 2017.
My fourth grader read this book three times, straight through, in three days!  It is very exciting and full of adventure.
Warning: Jack has a bit of an attitude at times but really has a good heart.  The mom says the word "crap".

Adventures with Waffles by Maria Parr translated from Norwegian by Guy Puzey illustrated by Kate Forrester**

Trille lives in Mathildewick Cove with his large family.  Right next door resides his best friend Lena who is quite adventurous and rambunctious.  Life is rarely dull-putting out a bonfire with manure, reenacting Noah's Ark on Trille's uncle's boat, posting a want ad on the general store's store-for a dad (for Lena), concussions, playing a Christmas carol on their recorders in town to earn a soccer ball . . .almost every chapter had me chuckling at the children's creative antics and activities.
Each chapter is a stand alone story but each chapter leads into the other.  By the end of the book the reader has spent an entire year with Trille and Lena.
Lena reminds me of Pippi Longstocking!
A refreshing read about active kids not glued to some screen!
**Highly, highly recommend.
Points to discuss: Lena's dad left her and her mom when she was born; Trille's beloved Great Aunt passes away in the middle of the story.

Honey by Sarah Weeks*

I love Ms. Week's realistic fiction (see Pie)!
Fifth grader Melody has enjoyed her life with her father in the mid-west.  When she was born, her mother passed away and that is all she knows.  Her father is reluctant to share any information about her mother.  Then she overhears her father speaking on the phone late one night and calls the person "Honey".  Could her father have a romantic interest that he is not sharing with her?  Melody and her best friend Nick set out to discover just who her father is calling "Honey".  Lots of funny mishaps and an erroneous conclusion occur which move the plot along quickly.
*Highly recommend.
Strategies: predicting, figurative language, expanding vocab.
**So fun- a list of nail polish names Melody creates for Bee-Bee, the new salon owner, are included in the back!

Brown Girl Dreaming by Jacqueline Woodson

**Newbery Honor Book in 2015**

Ms. Woodson shares her memories in free verse from the time she was born until about fifth grade.
She cleverly reveals racial issues in the 1960's-1970's, tragic events within her family, her search to find a place to call home (the south or NYC), her struggle in learning to read, and her deep desire to write and share stories.  I loved how she shared her journey as a young writer.
Beautiful language and very well written.
Points to discuss: Lots of history--Her southern grandmother was a Jehovah Witness and Ms. Woodson's mother continued taking the children to the Hall in NYC yet Ms. Woodson's uncle was Muslim; her mom left her father when she was a baby and then had a baby out of wedlock-this father is never mentioned; Angela Davis and the Black Panthers are mentioned a few times (and admired); her one teacher is a feminist

Family tree is included in the front of the book and the back of the book contains photographs from both sides of the family.

The Notebook of Doom-#1 Rise of the Balloon Goons by Troy Cummings

Alexander is new in town and is not anticipating his first day of school.  To increase his apprehension, weird events occur-like his new school being in a funeral home, his dad's tires losing air.
At his birthday party,  he discovers the culprits and must try to be brave to rescue a classmate.

Very short chapters so a great series for reluctant readers and for building stamina.
Grade Level Equivalent: 2nd grade
Guided Reading Level: N (3rd grade)

Emmanuel's Dream by Laurie Ann Thompson illustrated by Sean Quails*

"The True Story of Emmanuel Ofosu Yeboah"
Emmanuel was born with one functioning leg.  His mother ensured he was self-sufficient by encouraging him to pursue life, not permitting his disability to hinder him.  For example, he hopped to and from school -a 2 mile trek, shone shoes to earn money and eventually left his mother and siblings to earn money in the city when his mother fell ill.
As an adult he biked around Ghana to prove that a "disability does not mean an inability".
*Highly recommend.
Strategies: inferring-character traits, main idea

A Chair for My Mother by Vera B. Williams*

Award-winning book-Caldecott Honor Book
A young girl, her mother and grandmother save any extra money in a huge jar.  A year ago their house and all their possessions burn in a house fire.  Generous neighbors share various household objects but they are still in need of a comfy chair in which her mother can relax.
*Highly recommend.
Strategies: check for understanding (the girl flashes back to a year ago and explains what had happened; then returns to the present), Daily CAFE website recommends using it to model "skip the word, then come back".
Guided Reading Level: M (third grade)
Grade Level Equivalent: 3.8

Screaming at the Ump by Audrey Vernick*

Casey lives with his father and grandfather in NJ at the "third best" umpire school in the nation,Behind the Plate (there are only three umpire schools in the nation!).  At Behind the Plate, the umpires are taught that the rules are the rules and you call it with confidence.  When Casey stumbles upon a potential mind-blowing story to write and print in his school's newspaper, he discovers that a story may have different angles, not like umpiring where there is one right angle for viewing the play.  Maybe he can apply this new perspective in his own life concerning his mother who left him and his father for another man.
This story contains many opportunities for discussion:  middle school, integrity in journalism, substance abuse, divorce.
*Highly recommend.

Soccer Star by Mina Javaherbin illustrated by Renato Alarcao*

Paulo Marcelo Feliciano dreams how he and his soccer team will be soccer stars like Pele and others.
This book focuses on a boy's love for soccer but I love how it also gives readers a chance to see how others live in the world.  It was good for my boys to see how majority of the world fights daily against poverty.
The book was not preachy-just gently brought the reader into Paulo's world.
The physical size of the book is larger than average so great for story time.
**Highly recommend.

Rain Reign by Ann M. Martin*

This book will make you cry.
Ms. Martin portrays Rose, a fifth grader with Autism (high functioning, very intelligent) with sensitivity and insight.  Rose loves homophones (she calls them homonyms), rules, and numbers ( prime numbers).  But ultimately she loves her dog, Rain, who her father found in the rain.
During a hurricane, her father leaves Rain outside to do her business and she does not return.  The story relates how Rose searches for her and ultimately must make a tough decision.
*Highly recommend.

Points to discuss/warnings:  Two times the father swears-pg. 93 and pg. 127.  The father drinks too much and almost hits Rose but instead slams his fist into her dog's back.  In the end her father drops her off at her Uncle Weldon's house and does not return (for her own good which the reader can infer the father really does care about her and recognizes how he is not fit to raise her). Death of her mother (Rose does not find out until the end of the story).  Autism (portrayed well and with sensitivity).  Affects of a hurricane.

Soup and Me by Robert Newton Peck illustrated by Charles Lilly*

Rob and his best friend Soup find themselves in more mischievous adventures.  The seven chapters loosely go through the seasons, ending on a sweet Christmas story.
Some chapters had me laughing out loud!
Rob's dad has not been mentioned in the two books I have read-just his mom and Aunt Carrie who lives with them.  Maybe in another book it explains what had happened.
*Highly recommend.

Seven Stories Up by Laurel Snyder

Annie travels with her mom to be her grandmother before she passes away.  Annie's mother does not talk about her childhood so Annie does know her grandmother well.  While falling asleep in her grandmother's hotel, she is transported back in time  . . .in the same hotel . . .  her own grandmother (Molly)  is her age.
Molly is kept in the "Lonely Room" because she is ill (asthma, really).  Through Annie's visit, she brings cheer and courage into her grandmother's young life.
Author's note shares some historical aspect of  the 1930's:
child work labor
segregation
medicine
Holocaust
Great Depression

Likable characters!
Points to discuss/warning: "making out" is mentioned-very briefly, not explained; the hand clap/chant-Miss Lucy is shared which alludes to swear word; fathers are not regarded very highly-Annie's dad left them and her mom calls him a "louse" .  . .Molly's father is distant and cold and Molly doubts his love for her (they sort of resolve these issues in the book and the reader can understand why he acts the way he does)

Calvin Coconut-Trouble Magnet by Graham Salisbury illustrated by Jacqueline Rogers

Calvin lives with his mom and sister on the island of Kailua, Hawaii.  Since his dad left them to be a famous singer, Calvin is the "man of the house"; a title he sometimes despises.
This book takes place over a two day span but a lot of funny and not so funny events occur.  Calvin loses his bedroom so his mom's friend's daughter can live with them; he laughs at a bully and then by accident stains the bully's t-shirt; he lets a centipede lose in class; and begins a food fight (by accident, of course).
Very realistic coupled with humor.
Very likable character.
Part of a series:
http://grahamsalisbury.com/books/calvin-coconut/

The Magic Trap by Jacqueline Davies*

This book is the fifth and final book in the Lemonade War Series.
When their mom goes to California for a week and the original baby-sitter breaks her arm, Evan and Jessi face a week with their ever absent dad, an upcoming magic show and an approaching hurricane.
Each chapter begins with a magic term definition.  Brief biography of Professor Hoffman in the back.
*Highly recommend this series.
Points to discuss: divorce; a disinterested father

Only Emma by Sally Warner illustrated by Jamie Harper

Emma, an only child, and her mother have recently moved to a condo to save money.  As Emma adjusts to a new neighborhood, a new school and a new friendship, she must endure living with a four year old boy for a week.
First book of a series.
Points to discuss/warning: lying (but her lies "find her out"); bratty behavior/selfish