Echo by Pam Munoz Ryan

Otto meets three mysterious women in an enchanted forest who give him a magical harmonica along with strange clues.  Years later 3 children become bound together with this same harmonica, Friedrich from Germany, Mike from Pennsylvania, and Ivy in California during World War II.  This magical harmonica seems to rescue them by finding a father taken away, protecting a brother, keeping a family together and ultimately saving someone from death.  If you like historical fiction and mysteries you are going to love this book.  This book is long but it is worth reading and is one of my favorites.

Historical Fiction                                                                                              Mrs. Bender

Roller Girl by Victoria Jamieson

  

Astrid's mom takes her and her best friend Nicole on a surprise trip to a roller derby competition.  Once Astrid sees this she is hooked and wants to be on a roller derby team.  Astrid starts training at a summer camp for roller derby but then her and her best friend Nicole for the first time decide not to spend the summer together and Astrid to starts to notice that Nicole has become friends with her worst enemy!  Astrid makes a new friend Zoey who is also on the team and she helps Astrid become a better skater and she also helps Astrid to dye her hair blue.  Roller girl is written in a comic book form and is a quick read.  I would recommend this book if you are looking for a fun book to read.

Graphic Novel                                                                                              Mrs. Bender

El Deafo by Cece Bell

Cece has this amazing super power that no one knows about.  She can hear things that no one else can dream of and she doesn't tell anyone about it but when she meets a cute guy she decides to reveal her secret.  Was this a big mistake?  Cece was a normal child until she became very ill and looses her hearing.  We get to see the world of a deaf child and how she deals with going to school trying to fit in with the other students.  I thought this was an excellent story and that it was written in an graphic novel form was perfect for this story.  Highly recommend.

Graphic Novel/ Realistic Fiction                                                                                Mrs. Bender

Attack of the Turtle by Drew Carlson

The story takes place in 1776 and Nathan Wade is recruited by his cousin David to work on a secret mission for the war.  Since Nathan is 14 years old he is too young to fight in the war he decides to help out his cousin by meeting secretly during the middle of the night and rowing to an off shore island.  Here is where David reveals his plans to attack the British ships with his own secret weapon that he has worked on for the past couple of years while away at college.  It is a water machine that travels quietly underwater and when close enough to other ships can launch underwater bombs.  With this invention David and Nathan feel they could make a great contribution to the war.  David reveals that he wants Nathan to solely operate the water machine and launch the underwater bombs at the British but Nathan has his own fears, he is terrified of going underwater.

This story is a historical fiction novel but it is based on the true story of the invention of the submarine during the Revolutionary War.  Learning about the history of the submarine is told through this exciting adventure that these two young men experience and the fear of being caught by Tories.  Very interesting and suspenseful story.

Chapter Book: Historical Fiction                                                                    Mrs. Bender

Fat & Bones and other stories

Fat & Bones and other stories. by Larissa Theule

Gr. 5-8

Fat the fairy kept watch over the farmhouse watching for when the farmer’s wife would come to the pigpen to collect dinner.  Today was different, the farmer Mr. Bald has passed away and his son Bones is finally free to go after Fat.  The flowers here fight among themselves for a drink of water from a puddle and the one beautiful animal Apple the pig is the most graceful dancing animal in the barnyard until the farmer’s wife comes with the cleaver looking for juicy ankles.  In a dark and creepy world of short stories that are told keep the reader on the edge of their seat.  It is very reminiscent of a combination of Grimm’s fairy tales and Alvin Schwartz’s Scary Stories for those who enjoy disturbing, twisted stories.  There is no gore or extreme violence but it is a series of unsettling stories accompanied with strange black and white illustrations. Perfect for students looking for a scary story but appropriate for a school library. Two words: very creepy.

Chapter Book: Fiction                                                                                                    Mrs. Bender

S.W.I.T.C.H. #1 Spider Stampede

      

 

 S.W.I.T.C.H.: #1 Spider Stampede. by Ali Sparkes

 Gr. 2-4

Josh and Danny are identical twins but their likeness ends with their looks.   For instance Danny hates any type of bugs and screams when he encounters creepy crawlies.  Josh loves insects and is fascinated with all creatures no matter how ugly they are.  While playing with their dog Piddle he got into the neighbor’s back yard, Mrs. Potts.  When they go searching for him they find a tunnel in her backyard and they stumble upon her secret underground laboratory.  They find they are covered in yellow goo and the results are shocking.  Josh and Danny begin shrinking and changing into spiders.  This story takes the reader on a journey searching for a way back to becoming humans.  Students will find this story exciting and enjoy trying to figure out what happens next.  This book definitely appeals to boys and is excellent for reluctant readers.

Chapter Book: Fiction                                                                                               Mrs. Bender

Ivy & Bean Take the Case

Ivy & Bean: Take the Case by Annie Barrows

Gr. 2-4

Bean wanted to be just like Al Seven solving mysteries such as who took Hester’s jewels or where was Sammy La Barba on the night of May twelfth?  So Bean decided to become a private investigator or otherwise known as Bean P.I., ready to solve mysteries on Pancake Court.  With the help of her best friend Ivy they begin solving neighborhood mysteries such as what’s under the cement rectangle and the sleeping mailman.  Then a real mystery happened when a yellow rope appears out of nowhere to be coming out of her friend Dino’s chimney and everyday it is moved.  This is an excellent book for young reader’s looking for a book of mysteries.  Ivy and Bean books are an easy read and keep the reader entertained with their adventures.  This is an excellent book for students who are just beginning to read chapter books but want a fun story.

Easy Chapter Book: Fiction                                                                                                                     Mrs. Bender