Wild River by Rodman Philbrick

 If you enjoyed Wild Fire by Rodman Philbrick you will definitely love this book! 

Daniel is fast asleep on the very first night of a white water rafting trip. Suddenly, he is awake from screams. The dam failed and now the river is rushing towards them. With the help of the adults the kids get to higher ground. They make it... barely. But, the counselors weren't so lucky. Now they are alone, in the wilderness, with limited food and survival supplies. Who knew staying alive could be so difficult? This book of survival is filled with twists and turns and will keep you wanting more.

Nubby's Story

The Dodo: Nubby's Story

By Aubre Andrus

 

A student of mine got this book from our book fair. He couldn't read it fast enough. When done he set it on my desk and said I should read it next. :) I sure love it when students start to recommend books to me.

Nubby's story is a true story about a dog born without two front legs. The owners who adopted Nubby weren't sure if he would make it. Against all odds, Nubby overcomes many obstacles and does it in style. If you like animals you are sure to love this story!

Recommended reading age: 8-12 years old

 

Dragons in a Bag by Zetta Elliott

Dragons in a Bag

By Zetta Elliott

    I picked this book because it is part of the Iowa Children's Choice book list (2021-2022). It is a quick read and when we discovered that there is a second book my son immediately said he wanted to read that too. This book combines what most kids love... magic and dragons!

    Jaxon is sent to spend the day with a mean old lady his mother calls Ma. Ma, Mamma and Jaxon are NOT happy with this situation. That is when Jaxson finds out Ma is not his grandmother; she is a witch! Ma recruits Jaxon into helping her deliver three baby dragons to a magical world where they’ll be safe. There are two rules when it comes to the dragons: don’t let them out of the bag and don’t feed them anything sweet. Unfortunately, it's too late for that! Will Jax get the baby dragons delivered safe and sound? Or will they be lost in Brooklyn forever?

Recommended for ages 8-12

 

 

Greetings from Witness Protection!

 Greetings from Witness Protection!

By Jake Burt

                                            

The U.S. Marshals are looking for the perfect girl to join a mother, father, and son on the run from the nation’s most notorious criminals. It is getting more difficult to hide a family with social media, so they have decided to make them a family of four.

Nicki swears she can keep the Trevor family safe, but to do so she’ll have to dodge hitmen, cyberbullies, and standardized testing, all while maintaining her marshal-mandated B-minus average to blend in. As she tries to balance the responsibilities of her new identity, Nicki learns that the biggest threats to her family’s security might not lurk on the road from New York to North Carolina, but rather in her own past.

I could NOT put this book down! WOW! What a great read!

Reading age: 10-14

 

Rescue Dogs- Ember

 

 

Rescue Dogs- Ember

by Jane B. Mason, Sarah Hines-Stephens

If you love dogs and adventure you will love this book! My third grader and I have been taking turns reading pages and we are hooked! We find ourselves laughing at Ember and relating her curiosity to our 1 year old pup at home. After starting this book we discovered it is a series of 4! We are looking forward to reading the other three books. 

Reading level grades 3-7

Ember is looking for her forever home but she has A LOT of energy. This energy can turn into destruction, which is why she has been brought back after three placements. 

The Sterling family takes rescued dogs and turns them into rescue dogs. Does Ember have what it takes to control her curiosity? 

Blended by Sharon M. Draper

Blended

By Sharon M. Draper

Yes, this is another Iowa Children's Choice Award book, and that is what drew me to it. Although I cannot personally relate to many of the situations in this book it didn't stop me from feeling empathy. Our children are faced with many of these issues today... divorce and racism. Sharon does a wonderful job telling the story from a child's point of view. Isabella copes with these challenges by playing her piano. I highly recommend this book to readers who want to see the world through a different lens. 

Reading level grade 4

 

 

Lemons

 Lemons

By Melissa D. Savage

Lemonade Liberty Witt forgets how to make lemonade out of lemons after her mother dies. Now she is in a strange town, living with her grandfather that she has never met. This place is different and so is the boy she meets... Tobin Sky, CEO of Bigfoot Detectives Inc. Will she end up going back to San Fransisco or will she find her place in this new town?

This book had me crying, laughing and wanting to read more. It is a GREAT read!

630 lexile

grade level 3-7

The One and Only Bob

 The One and Only Bob 

by Katherine Applegate

Katherine Applegate wrote a #1 New York Times best seller with her unforgettable book, The One and Only Ivan. She now has added to this spectacular book by writing from the dog's perspective, Bob. Both of these books are worth reading! (I have included a trailer for you to watch.)

Reading level grades 2-5

 

Who is Temple Grandin?

Who Is Temple Grandin? 

By Patricia Bennan Demuth 

Autism is a word we hear more and more. This book helps us understand the life of somebody with autism. Temple Grandin is a brilliant scientist and inventor but life wasn't always like this. This book talks about her childhood and what it was like growing up with a mind that thinks differently. Temple grew up during a time when people didn't accept these differences like we do now. 

You could pair this book with the A Boy Called Bat series. "Bat" is a young boy who is also diagnosed with autism.  

This series of Who Is, Who Was or What Is is a great way to introduce our young readers to nonfiction. They are recommended for readers between 8-12 years old. 

The Unteachables

 The Unteachables 

by Gordon Korman

The Unteachables are a notorious class of misfits, delinquents, and academic train wrecks. Like Aldo, with anger management issues; Parker, who can’t read; Kiana, who doesn’t even belong in the class—or any class; and Elaine (rhymes with pain). The Unteachables have been removed from the student body and isolated in room 117.

Their teacher is Mr. Zachary Kermit, the most burned-out teacher in all of Greenwich. He was once a rising star, but his career was shattered by a cheating scandal that still haunts him. After years of phoning it in, he is finally one year away from early retirement. But the superintendent has his own plans to torpedo that idea—and it involves assigning Mr. Kermit to the Unteachables.

The Unteachables never thought they’d find a teacher who had a worse attitude than they did. And Mr. Kermit never thought he would actually care about teaching again. Over the course of a school year, though, room 117 will experience mayhem, destruction—and maybe even a shot at redemption.

When looking for a book to read Gordon Korman is a sure bet. For example, Restart was mentioned in our blog earlier. Both Restart and The Unteachables have a new chapter to tell a different character's perspective. This book is recommended for ages 8-12 and is a great read!

The Great Treehouse War

 The Great Treehouse War

by Lisa Graff

 

Winnie's last day of fourth grade ended with a pretty life-changing surprise. That was the day Winnie’s parents got divorced and decided that Winnie would live three days a week with each of them and spend Wednesdays by herself in a treehouse between their houses, to divide her time perfectly evenly. It was the day Winnie’s seed of frustration with her parents was planted, a seed that grew until it felt like it was as big as a tree itself.

By the end of fifth grade, Winnie decides that the only way to change things is to barricade herself in her treehouse until her parents come to their senses—and her friends decide to join. It’s kids vs. grown-ups, and no one wants to back down first. But with ten kids in one treehouse, all with their own demands, things get pretty complicated! Even if they are having the most epic slumber party ever.

This book was so fun to read. The recommended reading age is 8-12