Darth Paper Strikes Back by Tom Angleberger

Tommy and his friends are excited to start middle school.  Last year Origami Yoda made their lives better with all of his Star Wars wisdom. Sure, some people thought Origami Yoda wasn’t real. They thought Dwight just made the finger puppet to be annoying.  But then why did he always seem to have the answers to everyone’s’ problems?  Seventh grade was going to great!  Or so everyone thought until Harvey, Yoda’s biggest critic, came to school with an origami Darth Paper puppet on this finger.  Harvey promised to prove Yoda was a fake and lead everyone over to the Dark Side.

No one was too worried about Harvey’s threat until the unthinkable happens, Dwight and Origami Yoda, get kicked out of school.  Tommy and his friends have to think of a way to help Dwight before the principal convinces the school board to send him to CREF, a school for trouble youth.  The students set about to create a case file with stories of all the people Origami Yoda (and Dwight) have helped over the past year, while Harvey (and Darth Paper) do their best to introduce the Dark Side to the school.

Will the force be with Tommy and his friends?  Can they save Dwight from CREF?   Will the Dark Side prevail?  Is Dwight really a troubled kid that disturbs others, or is he just a brilliant but misunderstood student? You’ll have to read the story to find out.

**Note: This is the second book in a series, but don’t worry if you haven’t’ read the first book, everything is explained in this book.  

Visit the author's website for the inside scoop on his books, and directions on how to fold your own Origami Yoda and Darth Paper!
http://origamiyoda.wordpress.com

Plunked by Michael Northrop

     Have you ever picked up a book, wondered if you’d like it, read the cover, thought, “Hmm, this book doesn’t really sound like me”, and then read it anyway?  Well that’s what I did with Plunked, by Michael Northrop, and now I just can’t get the story or the characters out of my head.  Through this book I was able to visit a world, the realm of sixth grade sports, that I’ve only glimpsed before and NEVER would have been permitted access to when I was in sixth grade (who am I kidding, I would wear a dress on gym day so I wouldn’t have to play baseball!).

The story centers around Jack Moegens, a sixth grade student that lives for baseball.  He’s played for as long as he can remember, through the Little League minors and now into the Little League majors. Jack’s friends as just as die-hard fanatics as he is, so I’m not exaggerating when I say they all live, eat and breathe baseball!  Fans of baseball will love all the detail the author has included in the book.  I now have a good understanding of the different positions on the teams, pitching strategies, practice routines, and more.

Just when you think you have the book all figured out, ”it” happens.  Jack is injured (you’ll have to read the book to find out how) and his whole world turns upside down.  Is he still able to play baseball?  Physically yes, but mentally…..  that’s where the problem occurs.  I thought this part of the book was fascinating.  The complex emotions and feelings that Jack went through trying to find his way back to a game and life that had been his whole world for so many years really provide the reader with insights into the mind of a 12 year old athlete.  Jack wrestles with nightmares, his own fears, and the reactions of his parents, friends and the coaches.  The easy way would be to just walk away and never play baseball again.  But can he do that?  Is that what he truly wants?  You’ll have to read the book to discover how Jack figures it all out!

Happy reading!

The One and Only Ivan by Katherine Applegate

Have you ever gone to the zoo, watched the animals, and wondered what they would say if only they could talk?  Well here’s you chance!  The One and Only Ivan is the story of Ivan the gorilla, told by Ivan.  Ivan is a mighty silverback gorilla.  He was born in the wilds of Africa, captured as an infant, lived part of his early life in a human household, but was soon sent to live at the Big Top Mall.  This is where the story begins with Ivan, his friends Stella, a former circus elephant, and Bob, a stray dog that shares Ivan’s domain. Ivan has now lived at the mall for 27 years.

Ivan is an easygoing gorilla.  He doesn’t think much about his former life in the jungle.  His world consists mainly of his friends, Stella and Bob, his keeper Mack, and Julia, the daughter of the man who comes to clean the mall each night.  Ivan’s favorite past times are to watch TV and draw.  Ivan’s an artist.  The pictures he creates with crayons and paper are sold at the mall.  But Ivan’s world is about to change.

Attendance at the mall is dropping.  Mack needs to increase the attendance at the shows he does with the animals in order to bring in more money.  Suddenly Ruby, a baby elephant, arrives at the mall.  She quickly wins over both Stella and Ivan.  Like Ivan, Ruby was born in the wild but she still remembers her family and her capture.  Ruby loves listening to stories and sharing her own, but she doesn’t like performing in the shows.  Ivan begins to worry.  How can he help Ruby? Will Ruby spend the rest of her life in the mall like the other animals?  What will Mack do to her if she refuses to perform?  How can he help Ruby?

Book Trailer - Love That Dog

Love That Dog by Sharon Creech

I brought this book home with me for the summer.  It's been on my "to read" list forever as Sharon Creech is one of my favorite authors.  The book did not disappoint!  In no way do I consider myself a poet, yet while reading this book I had an incredible urge to write in verse!  Below is my attempt at writing the book review this way:

Jack didn't want to write poems
Poems are for girls.
But his teacher
Miss Stretchberry
Likes poetry.
She reads the class
Poems
Jack doesn't understand.
He tries.
He writes in his notebook
Words
Short sentences
His thoughts.
Miss Stretchberry thinks
Jack is a poet.
He'll let his teacher
Hang them up
But without his name.
Then Jack reads a poem
That is about to change his life.....

This book will be one of the mentor texts I use this year when we study poetry!

It's Like This Cat by Emily Cheney Neville

I often share with my students that I enjoy reading because books can take you places.  It’s true.  Open a book and you can travel any where in the world, and still be snuggled up in your comfy chair in your living room.  This summer I’ve camped in the Everglades, (crashed an airboat in the process), escaped with Fadi and his family from war-torn Afghanistan to San Francisco, and experienced the heat of mid-summer in Mississippi with no pool to swim in!  All this and I never left the state!

In the Newbery Award winning book, It’s Like This Cat, I was able to travel back in time to visit New York City in the early 1960’s.  It’s a culture shock, but in a good way.  New York in the early 60’s is a big bustling city, but a much safer place for a kid to grow up in.  Dave Mitchell is 14 years old and lives in Manhattan with his mom and dad.  He’s your pretty typical teenager, likes to hang out with friends, frequently is at odds with his dad, but tries to keep his mom happy.  The story centers around Dave and “Cat”, a stray tom cat that Dave adopts to spite his father who thinks Dave should get a dog.  Gradually Dave and Cat form a strong bond as Cat leads Dave on new adventures and helps to bring important new people and relationships into his life.

Throughout the book the author uses language and some slang that may have been popular in the 60’s but is rarely, if ever, used today.  As I read the story I found it fun to compare lifestyles today to those of the early 60’s. 

Glory Be by Augusta Scattergood

How would you feel if on one of the hottest days of summer, your town shuts down the city pool until further notice? In the book I just finished reading,Glory Be, it’s 1964 and some of the residents of the small town of Hanging Moss, Mississippi are having difficulty accepting the integration of their town. The President has passed a law that makes it illegal to have “whites only” swimming pools, drinking fountains, libraries,etc. Glory, who’ll be turning 12 this summer, can’t understand what all the fuss is about, she just wants everyone to get along. But others, including the town council, the high school football star, and nosy Mrs. Simpson are determined to keep the town the same,even if they have to resort to violence!

Check out Glory Be by Augusta Scattergood!