Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban

Once again, Harry Potter is back with his aunt and uncle during the summer where he stirs up trouble with the family when he argues with his great Aunt Marge and blows her up into a big balloon. Harry Potter runs away from home, finds his way back to Hogwarts where the escaped prisoner from Azkaban is attempting to locate Harry. Harry defeats Dementors by unleashing his inner patronus, a silver stag, he learns more about his father and his father's friends shape shifting abilities, and Snape's hatred for them as Harry discovers that the prisoner, Serius Black, is the wolf he has been seeing. Harry learns that the true traitor to Harry's family was actually Peter Petigrew and not Serius Black , the Dementors attack Black anyway and Harry saves Serius with his patronus again. Harry discovers after Serius has once again been taken prisoner that Serius is indeed Harry's godfather. Dumbledor and Harry plot out away for Serius to once again escape to keep from getting the Dementor's kiss.

Characters are very strong and are very believable. Dialogue shows each of the characters in more depth and allows the reader in to see their personalities.

Rowling, J. (1999). Harry potter and the prisoner of azkaban. Scholastic Paperbacks.

Harry Potter and the Sorcer's Stone

A lonely orphan named Harry Potter was sent to live with his snobby and dispicable Aunt, Uncle, and cousin and was never told of his parent's secret life. After turning 11, Harry is visited by a half giant named Rubeus Hagrid and is told about his life destined to be a wizard, and how he was the only survivor from Lord Voldemort's attack that killed his parents. Harry soon finds himself on a mysterious train to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizadry where he befriends a boy named Ron and earns an enemy named Draco Malfoy. Harry and Ron befriend a very intellectual girl named Hermione and the three discover after several events that the hated Professor Snape is after the fabled Sorcerer's Stone. The three get past the three headed dog, through the trap door and pass through the series of traps set up by the professors in the school. The last obstacle Harry realizes that Snape isn't the thief, the villain is Voldemort who shows himself through Professor Quirrel, and Harry outsmarts them by obtaining the stone through the mirror. Harry defeats Quirrel thus defeating Voldemort in spirit form and turns the Sorcerer's Stone back to the head of the school, Professor Dumblebor, and Harry becomes the hero of Hogwarts.

Plot is a VERY strong element because so many details go into this story and series that carry the reader along. The characters are very believable even though they are doing things that normal humans cannot - magic. The characters still suffer everyday tribulations of teenagers.

Rowling, J. (1998). Harry potter and the sorcerer. Arthur A. Levine Books.

Savvy

Savvy is a story about a family who resemble witches - all except Poppa. Every time a family member turns thirteen, the child gets a Savvy which is an extra special ability to they keep for the rest of their life. Mibs is about to turn thirteen and everyone wonders which Savvy she will receive and she starts being able to hear and see tatoos and ink move and speak - this is her Savvy. Mibs hitches a ride and goes on a journey to the hospital with her siblings to save her Poppa who is in a coma from an accident. The driver discovers the stowaways, lets them stay, but their ride takes many stops along the way, the driver meets Lill who understands and cares for the children. The children finally get to the hospital and Mibs tells her father that he has a Savvy too, to never give up, and Poppa speaks to Mibs through his mermaid tatoo that he will never give up and he ends up waking up from his coma.

The plot is very creative and interesting and takes the reader to an interesting world where the children have a bit of magic. Unexpected insights allow Mibs to discover her fathers Savvy.

Law, Ingrid. (2008). Savvy. New York, NY: Dial.

Diary of a Wimpy Kid, Rodrick Rules

This was a humorous tale. I thought it was very believable and everything in the book could actually happen. The children are creative in the story and turn a bland day into something great. The illustrations are great!

The book has a nice format (a diary) and engages kids that are not particularly interested in reading. Illustrations are cute and comical. Boys and girls will enjoy this boy and will be able to identify with the characters. It is also now a movie.

Kinney, Jeff. (2008). Diary of a wimpy kid. Amulet.

From the Belly Button of the Moon

This book is full of poems about summer. Some poems are short and choppy, others are longer and include Latino heritage. Some poems rhyme and others do not. The poems describe the joys that can be found on this earth and the beauty it holds. The poems also describe nature and how it mirrors other things in nature. Each poem has the poem in English and then in Spanish.

The pictures are brightly colored and use colors from the Latino culture as well as designs that come from the culture. The pictures fill 2 pages per poem and usually tell more than just the poem explains. The illustrations look as if they are from a dream.

Alarcon, Francisco. (1998). From the belly button of the moon and other summer poems. San Francisco, CA: Children's Book Press.

Laughing Tomatoes and Other Poems

This book is full of poems about spring. Some poems are short and choppy, others are longer and include Latino heritage. Famous Latinos like Cesar Chavez are even included in the poem to celebrate his birthday. Each poem has the poem in English and then in Spanish. The final poem tells how they are only new beginnings. The book gives a very positive message.

The pictures are brightly colored and use colors from the Latino culture as well as designs that come from the culture. The pictures fill 2 pages per poem and usually tell more than just the poem explains. The illustrations look as if they are from a dream.

Alarcón, Francisco, Gonzalez, Maya, & Wadham, Tim. (1997). Laughing tomatoes and other spring poems. Neal Schuman Pub.

How to Heal a Broken Wing

A bird is flying through the city, hits a building, and falls to the ground. A young boy named Will is the only one to see the bird lying injured on the ground - it had a broken wing. Will took the bird home, nurtured it, and let it rest. Wills family hope all of their TLC will help the bird to fly again. His family takes the bird back to where he found it. They release the bird and the bird flies away.

The pictures in the story add more to the story than just the few words in the story tell. The pictures are cartoon-like but are very sweet and colorful. Some pages have a full two page picture spread, others are asymmetrical or laid out like the Sunday comics.

Graham, Bob. (2008). How to Heal a broken wing. Cambridge, MA: Candlewick Pr.

The Magician's Boy

A boy is a magician's assistant and the boy puts on a puppet show after the magician's show. The boy wants to learn magic and doesn't understand why the magician won't show him any magic. The two must go to a very important party and the boy discovers one of his puppets, Saint George, is missing. The magician tells the boy he must find the puppet and the boy is thrown into the Land of Story to find Saint George. The boy wanders through stories and questions characters so he can find the dragon and Saint George. In the end, the boy discovers that he is Saint George and he carried the puppet show off in outstanding form and the magician will now teach him magic just as he wished.

The pictures are bright and colorful to add to the magical mood of the story. The pictures add to the text of the story. The pictures also help to establish the setting because this story has so many setting changes in the Land of Story.


Cooper, Susan, & Riglietti, Serena. (2005). The Magician. New York, NY: Margaret K. McElderry.

Wildfire

Ben is a young boy who lives with his Grandma, Grandpa, and great grandmother Goomby in the Florida countryside. Wildfires are rampant in Florida in the story and it is the Fourth of July so fireworks have been banned. Ben, Elliot, and some other kids decide to set of some fireworks after the parade in the woods. Elliot's new dog is spooked by the rocket the kids set off and runs into the woods and the two boys are lost in the woods as a fire breaks out from the fireworks. The boys and puppy escape boars and thick smoke as Ben hears the bells ring-it's his Goomby and neighbors calling him. Ben and Elliot arrive safely at home and the fire was put out by the firefighters. Ben received his punishment but he gets the reward of keeping the puppy.

The plot is a good one for children because the story teaches about making the right choices and what happens if you don't. The character does not really say much about how much he wants the dog but his desire is understated.

Hill, Elizabeth, & Shepperson, Rob. (2004). Wildfire!. Farrar, Straus and Giroux (BYR).

A Wrinkle in Time

This is a classic and very old story. It won the Newberry back in 1967. It is a magical story and the main character goes on a journey to save her loved ones. This story will be around for many more years to come.

Girls can completely connect with the main character Meg because she is working on knowing she is beautiful inside and out. Boys will like the story as well but girls will be able to understand it on a deeper level. Libraries need to upgrade to the new cover - the old one looks so dated that students might overlook it.


L'Engle, Madeleine. (2007). A Wrinkle in time. St. Martin.

Snot Stew

Kikki and Toby are two kittens left behind in the barn after their mom tells them they must leave and take care of themselves because she has another litter to take care of soon. The kittens are found by Sarah and Ben and they are taken to the "people" house and learn what it is like to live with people. Sarah and Ben give the kittens new names which Kikki and Toby ignore but they learn that they like to be scratched and loved, they think that Ben and Sarah are playing a game called snot stew but they are really just siblings fighting. Toby and Kikki start to play the keep away game but Toby takes it too seriously and eats all of Kikki's food and gets too fat to run away from the family dog. The dog catches Toby and eats his tail. Toby realizes how mean he has been and promises never to play snot stew again.

Dialogue is very important in this story because the story is from the point of view of kittens and their view of the world. This was not a very good book in my opinion but the kittens have unexpected insights because kittens see the world differently than humans.


Wallace, Bill, & McCue, Lisa. (2008). Snot stew. Aladdin.

Goosebumps, The Blob that Ate Everyone

Zackie is a young boy that loves to write scary stories and read them to his friends Alex and Adam. Alex loves Zackies stories but Adam always makes fun of the stories but Zackie writes them because he is easily scared. Alex and Zackie walk to town and come across a burned down building and they enter to explore the remnants. Zackie sees an old typewriter and wants to take it but he is shocked by electricity and falls to the ground and the shop owner gives Zackie the typewriter and a quill pen, he takes it home and then discovers it might have special powers. Zackie begins to type his scary blob story on the typewriter and everything he types begins to come true. Soon the town is being attacked by a giant blob and is now in his house along with Alex and the blob eats the typewriter so Zackie is unable to write a good ending to the story. Zackie realizes that he has the power of the story and not the typewriter so he thinks the end of the story and saves the day.

The plot carries this story because it is an interesting concept of what could happen if you are zapped by electricity. The characters are believable because they could be any child from any school that embark on a crazy adventure.

Stine, R. (1997). The Blob that ate everyone. New York, NY: Parachute Press, Inc.

Rosa

Rosa Parks was a seamstress and her boss let her out early one day and she made her way to the bus to go home. She paid her fair, went to the segregated entrance in the back of the bus and sat in the "neutral" section of the bus where blacks or whites could sit. The bus driver yelled for Mrs. Parks and some other riders to leave the seats - all did but Rosa. She was tired of segregation and didn't want to move so the driver called the police and she was arrested. The colored people in Alabama decided to boycott riding the bus and held a peaceful demonstration with the help Dr. Martin Luther King for about a year. The Supreme Court finally ruled that segregation was wrong and everyone was entitled to be equal.

The illustrator uses muted colors to establish the mood in this amazing story. The use of collage allows for a dynamic that reinforces the words written on the page. The pictures fill one and a half pages and are very realistic.

Giovanni, Nikki, & Collier, Bryan. (2005). Rosa. New York, NY: Henry Holt and Co. (BYR).

Martin's Big Words

Martin was a boy that did not understand why signs in his neighborhood said "white only." He listened to his father preach and decided he wanted to do something great when he grew up so he learned about love, studied the teachings of Ghandi, and he became a preacher too. Southern white people did not like what he was preaching and his house and his brother's house was bombed and yet Martin still had courage, protested, had peaceful marches. Martin began the end of segregation and taught others to fight with words and love. His words still speak to many even though he died for equality.

This picture book is well illustrated and has beautiful paintings depicting the fight for segregation. The pictures help add to the mood by using color. The composition and use of mixed media and collage create an amazing addition to the beautiful words in the story.

Rappaport, Doreen, & Collier, Bryan. (2001). Martin. New York, NY: Jump At The Sun.

Hondo & Fabian

Hondo is a dog asleep on the floor in his home and Fabian is a cat asleep on the windowsill. When they wake up, Hondo goes on a drive to play at the beach with another dog named Fred. Fabian stays at home to play and escape from the baby. Hondo arrives home at eats his meal with and next to Fabian. The two pets go back to sleep on the floor and in the windowsill after a hard day of playing.

This story does not follow a traditional plot line. It is more of a circular story that allows the read to believe the characters will begin and end their adventures the same way each time.

The pictures in this story are quite beautiful and help to add to the text because there are very few words in the story. Illustrations fill one page while a few words in bold black fill the opposite page. Illustrations are very soft and realistic with muted colors.

McCarty, Peter. (2002). Hondo and fabian. New York, NY: Henry Holt and Co. (BYR).

The Wall

This story is about the author, his birth during the cold war, and his love for drawing. He drew what he wanted at home but was not allowed to draw what he wanted at school. He found out there were things he wasn't told and he believed he was being brainwashed so he started to question. He played music and started to believe anything was possible until Russian tanks invaded and he didn't want to get in trouble for his dreams about America so he quit drawing. Eventually he continued to draw his dreams until he got his freedom when the wall fall and so did the Communist system.

The pictures tell a detailed story of the fall of communism. Actual photographs of the author's childhood are mixed with asides - drawings and paintings explain details of the Soviet system. The drawings are mostly realistic and use texture and hatching with a splash of color. The dream sequence pictures are very bright and colorful to differentiate between living under the Soviet system (black and white) and being free in the author's dream.

Sís, Peter. (2007). The Wall. Farrar, Straus and Giroux (BYR)

Knuffle Bunny Too

Trixie was excited to walk to school with her dad because she was going to share her favorite stuffed animal Knuffle Bunny. When she arrived at school she learned that another student, Sonja, had the same stuffed animal so Knuffle Bunny wasn't as special as Trixie thought. All day at school the girls argued about the bunnies until the teacher took them up and put them away until the end of the day. The girls were given the bunnies back, they went home, then spent the evening with their families as usual. In the middle of the night Trixie realized she did not have her Knuffle Bunny, she had Sonja's! She woke up her parents and demanded her dad call Sonja's family to get her back when they received a phone call to meet to exchange bunnies. Both families travel through the neighborhood to exchange bunnies and the next day the girls were best friends.

This story is illustrated through black and white photographs on every page. Within the black and white photograph are cartoon drawings of Trixie and her story. The pictures definitely extend the plot because the words in the story are very few and very simple.

Willems, Mo. (2007). Knuffle bunny too. New York, NY: Hyperion.

Sylvestor and the Magic Pebble

Sylvester Duncan is a donkey who loved collecting pebbles of unusual shape and color and on vacation he found an extraordinary flaming red one that looked like a marble. Sylvester discovers that the pebble grants wishes but when he comes across a hungry lion, instead of wishing to be somewhere safe he wishes that he was a rock. Sylvester could no longer hold the magic pebble so he has to wait many seasons when his parents finally came to picnic by the large rock. Duncan's parents find the beautiful pebble and place the pebble on top of the rock. Duncan is able to wish himself back to normal and they have a lovely family reunion. The family places the pebble in a safe in case of the chance that they might need to use it.

I think the story is well illustrated. The drawings are simple and brightly colored. Most pictures span both pages and the pictures help to explain the story to the reader, they add to the text.

Steig, William. (2009). Sylvester and the magic pebble. Atheneum.

Stage Fright on a Summer Night, Magic Tree House

Brother and sister Jack and Annie follow a shooting star to their magic tree house and they see Morgan le Fey who has a mission for them. She sends them back to Elizabethan England to find magic. Jack and Annie only have a rhyme to try discover magic all the while exploring England. They come upon a play and the writer William Shakespeare needs two replacements to read in his play for the queen. Even though girls are not allowed to be on stage and Jack has terrible stage fright, the two do an amazing job. The queen is pleased with the play and gives a speech and Jack and Annie learn the magic of turning day into night...on stage.

I personally think this is a poorly written story but the characters are believable and have personalities that could teach young people how to be a better person. This story is full of precise vocabulary and teaches the reader new language from Elizabethan time.

Osborne, Mary, & Murdocca, Sal. (2002). Stage fright on a summer night. Random House Books for Young Readers.

Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark

This book is a collection of scary stories meant to read aloud and the book even tells the reader when to jump at your listeners as it is read aloud. One story tells about a boy who finds a toe in the ground and he tugs at it, the toe pops off and he takes it home. After dinner the creature comes back for the toe. Another story just tells the tale of two men who were walking and were very scared of each other. Then the author tells the reader to scream - to scare the listener.

The author creates a mood that children and adults love - fear. Even though the stories may not even be scary, the reader is meant to scare it's listener by jumping or screaming while telling the story. The black and white drawings seem to be scarier than the words in the book.

Schwartz, Alvin. (1986). Scary stories to tell in the dark. HarperTrophy.

The Stinky Cheese Man

This story is very funny. It takes fairy tales and fables like Chicken Licken, Jack and the Bean Stalk, The Ugly Duckling, and fractures them. This story is set up like a chapter book and the Table of Contents even becomes part of the story. The words can be found going in different directions - swirls, upside down, very large, and very small. The fairy tales end up being twisted into each others stories and the narrator Jack enjoys messing with the stories and words on the page.

This is a combination of chapter book and picture book. The pictures are made by collage and are very funny when added with the fractured fairy tales. Some pages have no illustrations or the characters have been cut out of the background and placed somewhere else. This is a very interesting book and there is a lot to look at and discover.

Scieszka, Jon. (1992). The stinky cheese man and other fairly stupid tales. Penguin Group.

Verdi

Verdi is a young yellow snake amongst a bunch of old green snakes. Verdi is a bit of a daredevil and jumps from tree to tree and does tricks to show off to prove that he young and will stay that way. One day Verdi falls and hurts himself. The snake has to sit around to heal and begins watching younger snakes do the same tricks he once did as Verdi slowly turns from yellow to green. He is now the old but wise snake and the young ones wonder why he just sits there and does nothing all of the time. He is now doing what he said he'd never do - be an old lazy snake.

The illustrations are breathtaking. The artist chose bright vivid colors to set the mood as the we see Verdi come of age. The illustrations help to tell part of the story and add tho the characters personalities.

Cannon, Janell. (1997). Verdi. Harcourt Children.

Junie B. Jones, Stupid Smelly Bus

Junie B. Jones rides the bus for the very first time in Kindergarten. Junie hates riding the stupid, smelly, yellow bus and would rather be a car rider. Jimmy rides the bus and bullies her because he has a secret crush on her. Jimmy gets them in trouble and the bus driver comes to talk to them about their behavior. Junie convinces her grandma to drive her to school. She no longer has to ride the bus anymore and is happy.

Junie uses figurative language to describe her thoughts, fears, and what angers her. Mood is very evident in this story to explain how this 5-6 year old girl feels about the world.

Park, Barbara, & Brunkus, Denise. (1992). Junie b. jones and the stupid smelly bus. Random House Childrens Books.

Breaking Dawn

Bella and Edward get married and go on their honeymoon on Edward's 'mother's' island as Jacob runs away because of the pain he feels for losing Bella. The two explore their love and consummate their marriage only to discover how fragile Bella's body is and how strong Edward can be during such gentle and tender moments. Bella becomes pregnant and the family is intrigued and shocked at how a vampire baby affects a human body. During childbirth, Bella comes to near death and Edward is forced to change her into a vampire by biting her and injecting a needle of his venom into her heart. Bella then begins to discover her role as a new mother and a vampire and she is trained for battle by learning to control her shielding powers. The Volturi come to take Bella and Edward's baby (an immortal child) and a battle ensues between the Volturi, the Cullens, werewolves, and other ancient vampires. During the battle, Bella shields the family from anything the others do and no one can penetrate her shield. The Volturi leave and the Cullens are left in peace because they were able to prove the Cullens family did not turn the baby into a vampire - she was born that way.

The lovemaking is highly understated as the reader is left to infer what happens between Bella and Edward. The characters are in an amazingly well put together plot and the reader will have a hard time putting this book down!

Meyer, Stephenie. (2008). Breaking dawn. New York, NY: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers.

Eclipse

Tension between Jacob, the werewolf, and Edward, the vampire, continues to rise and Bella has to choose between the two. Mysterious deaths and disappearances lead everyone to believe Victoria is making a vampire army with new, young, vampires with uncontrolled strength to destroy Bella and the Cullen family. Jacob realizes he must put his feelings of hatred towards the vampires aside so he can help save Bella. Bella is moved to to the snowy mountains to try to divert the army from Forks and there is a great battle between Victoria, the new vampires, the Cullens, and werewolves. Victoria and the new vampires are slaughtered and a new respect between werewolves and vampires begins for Bella's sake. The Volturi send Jane to check on the situation with the new army, Jane discovers Bella has not been changed into a vampire yet, and Edward proposes to Bella.

The tension between Jacob and Edward is magnified through understatement.
The point of view of each character is explained through thoughts instead of spoken dialogue and we learn more about the love for Bella and the hate for each other (between Jacob and Edward.)

Meyer, Stephenie. (2007). Eclipse. New York, NY: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers.

New Moon

After an accident at Bella's birthday party at the Cullen's house, Edward realizes that he only endangers Bella's life and leaves Forks and she is left crying in the forest calling his name. In her depression, she begins to hear Edward's voice talking to her only when she is in a dangerous situation. After she acquires two motorcycles, Bella befriends Jacob Black, a family friend, they repair the motorcycles and during that time he begins to feel stronger emotions towards Bella than she feels towards him as Bella also discovers that Jacob morphs into a werewolf. Bella endangers herself on the motorcycle and also cliff jumps in an attempt to hear Edward's voice again but Edward's sister Alice sees in a vision Bella's demise, informs Edward, and he travels to petition the Volturi in Rome in hopes they will end his existence. Bella and Alice fly to Rome and find Edward before he reveals himself as a vampire in public, but all three are escorted to the leaders of the Volturi where Bella's unknown talents are discovered and they learn that the Cullen's must turn Bella into a vampire or she will suffer the consequences of knowing the vampire life.

Understatement is rampant in this story because of Bella's depression and how she loses herself when Edward leaves her in Forks alone. The reader is left to infer and add their own life experiences into the story. Internal dialogue allows the reader to see how each character feels about situations and relationships during the story.

Meyer, Stephenie. (2008). New moon. New York, NY: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers.

Twilight

Bella Swan moves to Forks to live with her father and she attends the local high school but unknown to the town, a vampire family lives there. Bella is drawn to this unusual family and boy named Edward who she finds out through a series of events is a vampire. Bella and Edward begin to date and discover there are limits to their love when Edward begins to bring her around his family and attends their baseball game. At the baseball game, three rogue vampires hear the game, want to play, and James smells her and wants her blood. The family tries to hide her and in a whirlwind of events she ends up in her hometown in Arizona where she is enticed to go to James alone after he compels her to believe that she is saving Edward. After she is bitten , Edward and the family save her from her ultimate demise.

Dialogue is very strong in this story because one of the best parts of the story is when Edward and Bella declare their love for each other without saying the words I love you.
This book has a lot of understatement because it is a teen story and the reader is left to let their imagination take them as far as their knowledge and inferring allows.

Meyer, Stephenie. (2006). Twilight. New York, NY: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers.

The Invention of Hugo Cabret

Hugo is a young boy in France living with his father. Hugo's father finds a broken robot in a museum attic but dies during the museum fire while trying to fix the robot. Hugo must go live with his uncle in the walls of the train station to maintain the station clocks but his uncle mysteriously disappears so Hugo must continue his uncle's job so he is not sent to an orphanage. Hugo must steal food in the train station as well as toy parts from the toymaker to try to fix the robot, but one day toymaker catches him. The toymaker takes Hugo's notebook of drawings and makes Hugo work in the shop to pay back his debt and Hugo begins to discover the mystery of the toymaker - Georges Melies. Hugo and Georges goddaughter Isabel learn that Georges was a very famous filmmaker and the two help bring him out of hiding to be honored by the film industry and Hugo is adopted by the Melies family.
This book is part picture book -many beautiful black and white drawings fill multiple pages to tell part of the story without words.
Inner dialogue is very important in this story to tell the story through Hugo's eyes.

View the following site for more info on Georges Melies.
http://www.theinventionofhugocabret.com/about_georges.htm

Selznick, Brian. (2007). The Invention of hugo cabret. Scholastic.