Read All About It
January 1st, 2010 by Meena ViswanathanBooks for EMERGING Readers
Knights of the Kitchen Table by Jon Scieszka, illustrated by Lane Smith • Viking Penguin Group
Looking for books to inspire reluctant readers? Here’s an award-winning first title in The Time Warp Trio series that uses word play and funny drawings to introduce kids to the world of fantasy. The story begins when Joe receives The Book, a birthday present from his magician uncle. It’s true that books take you places. Once he opens The Book, Joe and his friends, Fred and Sam, get transported to King Arthur’s court where they battle knights, dragons, and giants.
Sideways Stories from Wayside School by Louis Sachar, illustrated by Julie Brincklo • Avon Books
This collection of 30 stories takes place on the 30th floor of a mixed-up school. Wayside School was mistakenly built with one classroom on top of another instead of side-by-side. Some weird, wacky fun unfolds when readers join Mrs. Jewls and her class.
Who doesn’t love hearing about crazy kids in a topsy-turvy school? It’s an unbelievable story that engages kids with silly humor.
Graveyard Girl by Anna Myers • Walker & Company
Historical fiction based on the 1878 yellow fever epidemic that nearly wiped out the city of Memphis. When 12-year-old Eli loses his mother and sister to yellow fever, he closes his heart and decides he wants to move west. But when orphaned girl Addie comes along, she brings life to his otherwise grieving soul. Finally, Grace, the Graveyard Girl, reminds Eli to reach out and hold onto hope instead of drowning in despair. Memphians will recognize familiar places in this story, like Elmwood Cemetery and the Mississippi River.
Through this book, kids learn that tough times don’t last forever, but tough people do. Graveyard Girl shows how three youngsters struggle and survive in the face of tragedy.
Books for INTERMEDIATE Readers
Among the Hidden by Margaret Peterson Haddix • Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers
Where Luke Garner lives, a population law permits only two children per family. Luke is the third child born to a poor farmer who keeps him hidden in the attic. Well, that is until he meets Jen, another illegal child born to the rich Baron family. Jen and Luke learn of other shadow children and their lives through chat rooms. Together, they plan to stage a rally before the President, but at last minute Luke thinks twice. Does he really want to risk his life?
The first book in the Shadow Children series – Among the Hidden. This science fiction story is a complete page-turner, filled with suspense, mystery, and excitement. My 11-year-old daughter finished it in a snap, then recommended it to her friends. Now they’re all on a mission to read the entire series.
The Watsons Go to Birmingham – 1963 by Christopher Paul Curtis. • Dell Laurel-Leaf.
The Weird Watsons come together to experience one of the darkest moments in American history. Ten-year-old Kenny Watson tells the story of his crazy family and a life-changing trip they make from Flint, Michigan, to Birmingham, Alabama. When Kenny’s teenage brother Byron misbehaves, his parents decide to take him to spend the summer with his strict grandmother in Alabama. But the family’s fortune becomes entwined with the city’s church bombings and the civil rights movement. Told through the eyes of Kenny, Curtis’ first novel remains a hit and one kids will appreciate.
Rules of the Road by Joan Bauer. • G. P. Putnam’s Sons.
Teenager Jenna Boller, the central character, sums up this story in one line: Clean Teen Faces World – Vows to Fight On! Not only does Jenna face problems at home, but she also must wrestle with those her employer encounters. It all begins when Madeline Gladstone, the longtime president of Gladstone Shoe Stores, hands over her Cadillac keys to Jenna, exposing her to a whole new world.
When it comes to dealing with a serious topic of alcoholism, teens will relate to a story that uses a lot of humor and is told from a teenager’s perspective. The novel sends out an important message: No matter how you choose to conduct your business or life, quality matters.