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