This summer I'll be sharing chapter books that are perfect for a range of readers.
Stop by every Thursday and find a round up of books you'll want to use with your readers!
It's fun traveling to out of this world places. Or having our reality have a piece of fantasy embedded in it. These books let kids' imaginations travel to some different places or realities!
Locker 37: The Rewindable Clock
written by Aaron Starmer
illustrated by Courtney La Forest
This is the second book in the series, although you can certainly jump in at any point and understand the plot.
In this second book, Keisha desperately needs to visit Locker 37. This locker is for fourth graders only and it's the giver of solutions. It might not be the solution you are looking for, but it's a solution that is guaranteed to work. Keisha needs to visit the locker because she has forgotten her homework, which is something new for her. She ends up finding a clock, but not just any clock, a clock that allows her to rewind small amounts of time. Of course, no time travel is without limitations, cautions, and warnings. Keisha figures out something new each time she uses it, but all the time travel adds up to extra time awake. Will Keisha finally figure out how to solve her problem and maybe help others out as she goes?
It's a fun storyline, but with going back and forth and the consequences that incur, there is a lot to track. I would pass this series off to a mature reader who can follow plot lines and twists and turns. I am looking forward to finding the first book in the series and reading more!
Teeny Weenies: Freestyle Frenzy and Other Stories
written by David Lubar
illustrated by Bill Mayer
You may be familiar with Lubar's series The Weenies. I was not, so I had to do a little digging about them. Each book in the series is full of short stories that have a bit of a scare to them. The characters all appear to be... maybe hot dogs? Not sure if that's how I'm supposed to envision them or if it's just a take on the phrase, "don't be a weenie"... as in don't be so scared. Well, the Teeny Weenie series takes it down just a little. Each chapter book has short stories (each chapter is its own story, about 12 chapters in a book) that have just a little teeny fright in them. I did not find them scary, but adds just a bit of a shock and the unbelievable, to each story. I did find a few of them laugh out loud funny. I had a hard time trying to visualize the characters as hot dogs, and stuck with human kids. That visualization does not go with the illustrations, but it worked better for me!
I like that the chapters are short stories. Kids can be reading a chapter book and they don't have to carry the story from beginning to end. It's also ok to skip around while reading, even if that means not going all the way to the end. Each chapter has its own closure so if a reader is still working on stamina, they are ok to not finish the book.
I have a few in the series and I'm looking forward to introducing the series to kids this school year.
Hazy Bloom and the Tomorrow Power
written by Jennifer Hamburg
illustrated by Jenn Harney
Hazy is a regular third-grade student, who along with BFF Elizabeth, is going to be making cupcakes for the school's upcoming carnival. But while staring at her fridge (and by that I mean staring at the school menu that is posted on the fridge), Hazy gets a weird tingling in her hands and she feels hot and cold all over. Next thing she knows, she has a vision of flying peas! Dismissing it quickly, it's not until the next day when she's in the school cafeteria and a boy starts a food fight with, you guessed it, peas! After a second vision comes true, Hazy and Elizabeth start thinking she has "tomorrow power" - she sees an event that will happen on the following day. Can she use this power to help? Where does she get the power? Why does she have it? Lots of questions and of course, a great set-up for book two!
It's a fun story and quick to read (170pgs). With small illustrations on every page, it's a quick page-turner. I think kids will enjoy meeting Hazy!
As our minds start turning to this next school year, I'm sure we all need a little out of this world reading to escape into! Hope these are some new ones to add to your library!
All journeys have a starting place.
This is a weekly place to find books and tools
that you may use with readers
at the start of their independent reading journey.
Join in the conversation at #road2reading.
I'm trying to help our K-5 school pick a good community read. We last chose Wishtree and it went really well. Right now, Ways to Make Sunshine is the book to beat, but I thought I'd ask a nerdy expert if she had any other good ideas.
ReplyDeleteJacqui