Pa Lia's First Day

This book was written by Michelle Edwards. It is a children's chapter book that is realistic fiction. The theme throughout the book is friendship. The primary character of the book is Pa Lia and the secondary characters are her friends, Howie and Calliope, and her teacher, Mrs. Fennessey. This book has not received any awards. It was published by Harcourt Books.

This book is about a young girl who is about to have her first day in second grade at a new school. Pa Lia is very nervous about finding her classroom. Her brother leaves her all alone and then she meets Calliope. The two girls discover they are in the same classroom. Calliope is very excited to introduce Pa Lia to Howie. When they get to the classroom, Howie does not like Pa Lia. The girls are assigned to sit with each other. Pa Lia is determine that Howie will like her so she writes her a note. Howie laughs and Mrs. Fennessey scolds the girls. Pa Lia confess to the teacher that she was the one who wrote the note. She is worried that the girls will really not like her anymore. But at recess she finds that Howie thinks she is very brave. The girls have a great rest of the day.
I would use this book at the beginning of the school year to encourage the students to make new friends. This book is a very good way to comfort children about first day jitters. I believe all children could relate and enjoy this book.

The Extreme Team: Rock On

This book was written by Matt Christopher and illustrated by Michael Koelsch. The genre of this story is realistic fiction and children's chapter book. The major theme through the book was bullying and overcoming fears. The primary character of the book was X and the secondary characters were Jonas, his friend, and Frank, the bully. This book has not received any awards. It was published by Little, Brown, and Company.

The book was about a teenage boy, X, who seems to be good at any sport. While snowboarding he runs into a bully, Frank, who wants to challenge him to a race. X wins the race. Then the girl who is in charge of the slops invites the boys to go on a trip with them to rock climb at the mall. All of X's friends are excited, but X seems unsure. That night at home he discovers he has a serious fear of heights. This makes X even more nervous about rock climbing. He is so scared that his friends will make fun of him that he goes on the trip anyway. When he begins to rock climb he does very well, until he looks down. Then the instructor has to help him down. X is very embarrassed. He is worried his friends will not like him anymore because he was a "coward." After talking with his mom, X goes and explains what happens to his friends, and finds out they did not think twice about it. At the slop the next day, X runs into Frank again. Frank makes fun of him for being scared and once confronted by X, everyone discovers that Frank is scared of heights, too.
I would use this book in my classroom to address bullying. I think it shows in a fun way that students can relate to. I think all children, around 2nd grade, would enjoy reading this book as a group of independently.

Soccer Cats: Hat Trick

This book was written by Matt Christopher and illustrated by Daniel Vasconcellos. The genre of this story was realistic fiction and children's chapter book. The theme throughout the book was teamwork. The primary character of the book was Stookie and the secondary characters were Lou, his friend, and Greg, his brother. The book has not received any awards. It was published by Little, Brown, and Company.

The book begins with Greg telling Stookie about how he made the paper because he was able to do a hat trick at his soccer game. Greg continues bragging about the hat trick to Stookie. Then stookie goes to tell his teammates that he will get a hat trick, which is three goals, in their next game. At the game, Stookie is so worried about getting three goals that he keeps the ball all to himself and will not pass to the other players. His coach finally sets him out of the game for the second half. Stookie winds up losing his friends. At their next practice, his friend Lou does not want to be his partner. The coach keeps the two boys after practice to talk about the importance of teamwork. Stookie realizes he needs to listen to his friend and coach. At their next game Stookie is much better about being part of a team. They win the game because Stookie assists so many of his fellow teammates!
I would use this book as part of my classroom library. I think the athletes, especially boys, would like to read this book. They could easily relate to the story and could learn the important lesson of teamwork.

Martin and the Giant Lions

By Caron Lee Cohen and illustrated by Elizabeth Sayles. The genre of the story is fantasy and picture book. The theme of the book was exploration. The primary character was Martin and the secondary characters were the giant lions. The book has not received any awards. It was published by Clarion Books.

The story is about a young boy, Martin, who is curious about what is at the top of the jungle gym. But his mom always takes him down before he can find out what is up there. Martin dreams about giant lions that he believes lives there. The book discusses his adventure with the lions. The Martin returns home before daylight. The next day at the playground he finds his pail with the cloud he found the giant lions still in it. I would use this book with young students as a writing prompt. I would read this story to the children and then have them write about what they would find in their dream on the top of the jungle gym and the type of adventure they would have. This book would be a good way to spark their imagination and creativity.

One Winter's Day

By M. Christina Butler and illustrated by Tina Macnaughton.

The genre of this story was animal fiction. The theme was the importance of giving to others and how it can benefit you. The primary character was the Little Hedgehog and the secondary characters are the other animals in the forest. The book has not received any awards. It was published by Good Books.

This book is about a Little Hedgehog whose house gets blown over in the winter storm. He wraps up and heads to Badger’s house. On the way there he passes many animals that need help to keep warm. So Little Hedgehog gives his winter clothing to them to keep them warm. He finally arrives to Badger’s house with no more winter clothing. The next day he worries about how he will ever build his home back, but to his surprise all the little animals he helped have already worked together to rebuild him a cozy home and returned his winter clothes. One Winter’s Day would be a great way to introduce children to a good character trait. By reading this story the children would be able to see the benefits of helping others and how it can benefit them in the long run. The book is also a touch and feel book which children would enjoy.

A Ladder to the Stars

By Simon Puttock and illustrated by Alison Jay.

The genre of this story was fiction picture book. The theme of this story is that you are only as old as you allow yourself to be. The primary character in this book was the young (old) girl and the secondary characters were the Star, Sun, and Moon. This book has not received any awards. It was published by Henry Holt and Company.

This book is about a young girl who wishes on a star. She wished that she could dance with the star. So the star hears her and tells the moon who decides they should tell the sun. Then the winds work together to plant a special seed which grows for 100 years into a huge, tall tree that brushes the sky. Then the little girl is awaken by the star when she is 107 years old and asked to climb the tree. Finally the woman is convinced and climbs all the way up to finally dance with the star. I would read this story to younger elementary children. It would be a fun way for them to learn about fantasy stories. And also for children to learn about science, with the sun, moon, and stars and the winds work together and how plants grow.

The Higher Power of Lucky

Written by Susan Patron and illustrated by Matt Phelan. This book was realistic fiction. The book has two major themes, the search for a "higher power" and friendship. The primary character in the story is Lucky Trimble and secondary characters include Miles, Lincoln, HG Beagle, and Brigitte. The Higher Power of Lucky won the Newberry Medal in 2007. It was published by Aladdin Paperbacks.

This story is about a young girl, Lucky, who lives in a small town in California. The town where she lives is very poor. Her mother was electrocuted and killed two years ago. Lucky does not know her father, but his previous wife, Brigitte, comes to take care of her. Lucky has two friends, Miles and Lincoln. She has three jobs in the town, one of which is to clean up where the Anonymous meetings take place so that no alcohol, cigarettes, or candy is left behind. While cleaning up for these meetings, Lucky hears the people refer to a "Higher Power" several times and decides to search for what one is. The rest of the story takes her through her journey for this. At the end of the story, a dust storm is coming through the town and Lucky is preparing to run away (because she believes Brigitte is planning to  return to Paris). While Lucky gathers her bag to run away, Miles comes to her house and Lucky makes him leave. As the storm worsens, everyone realizes Miles is gone. Then Lucky runs away with her dog and they come across Miles as they are heading to the dugout. Shortly after they get to the dugout, Lincoln shows up to tell them that the townspeople are looking for them. When everyone arrives, Lucky covers for her and Miles by welcoming everyone to her mother's memorial service and she releases her ashes from the urn. When they all return to town, Lucky discovers that Brigitte was not leaving her, instead she was going to adopt Lucky and open her own restaurant.
I would use this book with children ages 9-11. I believe children would just enjoy reading this book because it has adventure and is written from a view that children can relate to. This would be a wonderful way to introduce this age group into more lengthy chapter books because it is a fast read. The book does mention "scrotum" which could be offensive to some parents, but other than that it was a great book.

Otis

Otis was written and illustrated by Loren Long. The genre was fiction. The theme of the story is friendship. The primary character in this story is Otis, the tractor, and the secondary character is the calf. Otis has not received any awards. Penguin published this book.

This book is about a small tractor, Otis, who loves his farm. One night a calf is born and Otis soothes her to sleep. After that night they become best friends and play on the farm all day. Then the farmer gets a big tractor and pushed Otis out behind the barn. The calf misses his friend. One day the calf gets stuck in the mud and the farmer cannot get her out. Then Otis comes to the rescue. The calf gets out of the mud and they become best friends again on the farm. I would use this book with early elementary school students to show them the importance of friendship. This book also sends the message that the biggest and best of something isn't always the best.

Officer Buckle and Gloria

Officer Buckle and Gloria was written and illustrated by Peggy Rathman. The genre is fictional picture book. The theme of the story is safety. The primary character is Officer Buckle and the secondary character is Gloria, his dog. This book received the Caldecott Metal in 1996. It was published by Putnam Publishing Group.

In this book, Officer Buckle goes around the schools and gives speeches about the importance of safety. When he starts taking Gloria, the dog, with him the students begin paying much more attention to the speech. Officer Buckle believes it is because of him. Then one night he watches the news and sees Gloria acting out the safety tips behind him. Officer Buckle becomes upset with Gloria and decides to stop giving his speeches. Once the children from the schools start writing him letters he decides to begin the speeches again. I would use this story with early elementary students. The book would be a good way for the children to learn about safety and friendship.

Mine-O-Saur

Mine-O-Saur was written by Sudipta Bardhan-Quallen and illustrated by David Clark.
The genre of Mine-O-Saur was fiction and a sub-genre of comedy. The theme of this children's book was sharing. The primary character was the Mine-O-Saur and secondary characters were his friends. The book has not received any awards. It was published by Putnam Juvenile.

This story is about a young dinosaur who doesn't want anyone to play with his toys. He takes all his toys away from the children while saying, "mine, mine, mine!" The other children decide they do not want to play with him anymore. Then the mine-o-saur decides it is best to share the toys with everyone. I would use this book with young children. It is a great way to show them the importance of sharing. After the children see what happens to the mine-o-saur they will be much more willing to share and play with everyone.

Owl Moon

Own Moon by Jane Yolen.
Illustrated by John Schoenherr.
The genre of Owl Moon was picture book and the subgenre was realistic fiction. The theme of the story was anticipation and the good that comes from waiting patiently. The primary character was the little girl and the secondary character was Pa and the owl. This book received the Caldecott award in 1988. The publishing company was Philomel.

This book tells the story of a young girl who has been waiting for a long time to go owl hunting with her Pa. In this story the girl talks about how she must be quiet and still while they wait. In the end her father calls to an owl and they find one. She was able to see the owl in the tree staring at her. I would use this story with students to help them understand that when they wait patiently good things will come.

Scarecrow Pete

Scarecrow Pete by Mark Kimball Moulton.
illustrated by Karen Hillard Good.
Scarecrow Pete can be classified in the fiction genre with a subgenre of the joy of reading. The theme in this story was how joyful reading can be when it sparks your imagination. The primary character was Scarecrow Pete and the secondary character was the little boy. This book has not received any awards but it is a wonderful fall book for children to read, especially you want children to learn how much fun reading is. The publishing company was Ideals Publication.

This story was about a young boy who was in the field. He heard someone talking to him and found out it was Scarecrow Pete. He thought it was a dream. The scarecrow told him how much he loved to read. The two of them became close friends and read together everyday. I would like to use this book with children to help them read. It would be wonderful at the beginning of the year to get students excited about reading, especially with the time of the year the book is in.