This is a fun read that makes you think...

Harriet the Spy (1964) by Louise Fitzhugh
Reading level: Ages 8-12

Sixth-grader Harriet attends school on the New York's Upper East Side along with her two best pals, Sport, the jock (of course!), and Janie, the mad scientist. After school every day, she takes her notebook and proceeds through her spy route. Climbing on milk crates and hoisting herself up dumbwaiters, Harriet observes the rich lady who never gets out of bed, the man with twenty-five cats, and the Italian family who runs a grocery store. She takes brutally honest notes on them all.

Harriet's downfall is that she also writes down her thoughts about people she actually knows. After a game in the park when her notebook is knocked out of her hands and read by her classmates, Harriet's deepest thoughts are revealed.

Harriet is quickly ostracized and all her classmates -- even the Boy With the Purple Socks -- and they all form the Spy Catcher's Club. Even former friends Sport and Janie become members!

After her parents find out what's happened, Harriet receives a final, crushing blow. She can no longer take notes! She is humiliatingly searched by her teacher, her parents, and even the cook every day for a contraband notebook.

Aided by the sage advice of nanny Ole Golly, Harriet is able to get through this difficult period, regain her friends, and get back her notebook privileges. ~ Nancy Matson at www.nancymatson.com/HTHESP.HTM

This book will make you laugh...

The Twits (1998) by Roald Dahl
Reading Level: Age 9-12

This book is a lightning-quick read and it's full of gross hygiene deficiencies, practical jokes and mischievous monkeys. Mr. Twit has the nastiest, ugliest beard known to mankind, the only thing nastier and uglier being Mrs. Twit with her glass eye. They take pleasure in playing horrible practical jokes on each other, being unpleasant to their four pet monkeys, and catching birds to make bird pie. Of course, nasty people cannot be expected to come to a good end, and the monkeys craftily strategize to turn the tables on the horrible couple. The underlying moral here is that no matter what you look like physically, if you have good thoughts, they will shine right through and make you a beautiful person, and of course the opposite also unfortunately applies. Be nice to someone today and let the sunlight stream from your face. ~ Amanda Richards, February 17, 2005 (Amazon.com)

A New Book Review from Jenny:

Among the Hidden
By Margaret Peterson Haddix
Reading Level 5.2

This is the first book in a series of the “Shadow Children,” those children born illegally in a futuristic society where families are only allowed two children. Luke is a twelve-year-old “shadow child” having lived all of his life in isolation and fear on his family’s farm until he discovers another “third” living nearby. This other child convinces Luke that the government is wrong, there is no population problem, and they must fight for their freedom.

I loved this book because of the thought-provoking topics it addresses. Its a great book for getting children to think about today’s societies that struggle with a population explosion and what it might be like to live in a place where resources are limited and the government dictates how many children you can have. It provides a perspective on our earth’s limited sustainability, problems in resource distribution, and the corruption perpetrated by the “haves” and the “have-nots.” It reminds me of a modern day version of George Orwell’s 1984. I would use this at the middle school level to explore all of the above topics. It could also be used to explore the broader subject of “community.” ~ Jenny

Thank you, Jenny for sharing this book review. I look forward to reading it!

Sophie

Fifth Grade Recommendations:

This is a list of

FAVORITE BOOKS

sent to me today by my

FAVORITE FIFTH GRADE CLASS:
(I would listen to their advice -

they are GREAT readers!)

The BFG (of course) by Roald Dahl
The Twits by Roald Dahl
The School Story by Andrew Clements
Wayside School is Falling Down by Louis Sachar
Warriors by Erin Hunters
Journey by Patricia MacLaughlin
Lemony Snicket series by Brett Helquist
The Sign of the Beaver by Elizabeth George
My Side of the Mountain by Jean Craighead George
The Gregor series by Suzanne Collins
Island of the Blue Dolphins by Scott O'Dell
The Last of the Really Great Whangdoodles by Julie Andrews Edwards
Room One by Andrew Clements
Bloomability by Sharon Creech
Walk Two Moons by Sharon Creech
Night Journey by Avi
Little Women by Louisa May Alcott
Atherton by Patrick Carmen (he's from Walla Walla and he came to our
school last year...he's great!)
The Dark Hills Divide by Patrick Carmen
Percy Jackson and the Olympians by Rick Riordon
Flush by Carl Hanson
Time Cat by Lloyd Alexander
The Phantom Tollbooth by Norton Juster
Varjak Paw by S.F. Said
Dragon Rider by Cornelia Caroline Funke
Hoot by Carl Hanson
City of Ember by Jeanne DuPrau
Eragon by Christopher Popoloni
Eldest by Christopher Popoloni
Heat by Mike Lupika
Santa Paws by Ellen Emerson White
Holes by Louis Sachar
Small Steps by Louis Sachar
Harry Potter by J.K. Rowling
Chocolate Fever by Robert Kimmel Smith

THANK YOU TO EVERYONE IN ROOM 17!

Sophie

Theresa recommends:

Walk Two Moons (1995) by Sharon Creech
Newbery Winner

In Walk Two Moons, 13 year-old Salamanca “Sal” Hiddle learns the importance and value of family and friendship while learning to accept and grieve for the loss of her mother. She ventures on a cross-country trip from Ohio to Idaho with her grandparents and relates the story of her friend, Phoebe, who is struggling with some personal problems and fears. While telling an often humorous and sometimes painful story about Phoebe, we find that Sal is discovering more about herself and how although the loss of her mother is causing her tremendous pain, that she is starting to move past the grief to feeling good about life. Filled with humorous events and serious situations, Native American undertones, and the importance of friends and family (especially while grieving), Walk Two Moons is a moving story of one girl’s journey to feel at peace with the loss of her mother.

I highly recommend Walk Two Moons for 5-7th grade students. It is a fairly quick and easy read, but the story-telling, done by 13 year-old Sal, conveys a lot of emotion and depth about situations that a typical adolescent student may face. This is a great book for allowing students to step into the shoes of someone else to explore and feel what other people have gone through. The book discusses family and friendships and how these relationships mean different things to different people; the characters are interesting and well-developed. There are some situations that discuss Native Americans which could lead into some great discussions on Native Americans or other Native American literature. Sharon Creech allows you to get in the mind of Sal and experience what it is to be 13 and feel out-of-place and lost and uncertain of where to turn. Walk Two Moons does an excellent job of presenting grief, family, and friendship in a manner that every student will understand and find they can relate to. This is a great book for every student to develop a better understanding of how they and others deal with difficult situations in life. ~ Theresa

Thank you, Theresa for sharing this book!
Sophie

Another page-turner...

From the Mixed-up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler (1967) by E.L. Konigsburg
Reading Level: Age 9-12

This book tells the story of Claudia Kincaid, a precocious 12-year-old girl who feels underappreciated by her parents. She decides to run away from home just long enough to show her family what they would be missing without her. Unfortunately, she doesn't enjoy hardship or discomfort. To solve this problem, Claudia decides to stay at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City. She persuades her younger brother Jamie to accompany her: he's quiet, but most importantly, he has a secret stash of cash he's accumulated by cheating at card games with his best friend, Bruce.

Much of the early part of the novel details how Claudia and Jamie settle in at the museum: blending in with school groups on field trips during the day to get a free presentation, hiding in the restroom at closing time to stay there, and emerging at night to bathe in the fountain and sleep on antique beds. During their stay, they become fascinated with the newest exhibit: a beautiful statue of an angel, suspected to have been crafted by Michelangelo. Their dwindling resources of time and money are spent trying to uncover the secret of the statue, hidden somewhere in the voluminous and erratically organized files of the statue's previous owner, Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler. (Wikipedi.com)

I loved this book when I was in fifth grade and always imagined how cool it would be to spend the night in the Metropolitan Museum of Art. This is a great adventure that includes a good mystery. E. L. Konigsburg won the 1967 Newbery Medal for this tale.

Here is a GREAT read!

Holes (2000) written by Louis Sachar

Reading Level: Ages 10 and up

“”If you take a bad boy and make him dig a hole every day in the hot sun, it will turn him into a good boy.” Such is the reigning philosophy at Camp Green Lake, a juvenile detention facility where there is no lake, and there are no happy campers. In place of what used to be “the largest lake in Texas” is now a dry, flat, sunburned wasteland, pocked with countless identical holes dug by boys improving their character. Stanley Yelnats, of palindromic name and ill-fated pedigree, has landed at Camp Green Lake because it seemed a better option than jail. No matter that his conviction was all a case of mistaken identity, the Yelnats family has become accustomed to a long history of bad luck, thanks to their “no-good-dirty-rotten-pig-stealing-great-great-grandfather!” Despite his innocence, Stanley is quickly enmeshed in the Camp Green Lake routine: rising before dawn to dig a hole five feet deep and five feet in diameter; learning how to get along with the boys in Group D; and fearing the warden, who paints her fingernails with rattlesnake venom. But when Stanley realizes that the boys may not just be digging to build character–that in fact the warden is seeking something specific–the plot gets as thick as the irony” (Amazon.com).

This is another book that draws the reader in quickly and holds their attention. Only last week I observed a middle school student secretly reading a copy on his lap while the teacher was conducting a lesson. Again, there are many resources available for educators due to this book’s popularity. In addition, a movie version with Sigourney Weaver, is a must-watch.

Another Great Title!

Gary Paulsen’s Hatchet (1988) is a book which is a great read for many ages. Fifth grade readers love the chance to read a chapter book that takes them on an exciting survival adventure. It is also a terrific book to offer to struggling middle school readers to get them hooked on a book. Hatchet is a book students will read multiple times. A bonus to educators is that since Paulsen’s books are so popular, there are many resources available online.

Paulsen himself is well acquainted with the outdoors and writes about his experiences. He competed in the 1983 and the 1985 Iditarod and currently raises and trains sled dogs. His books often include coming of age themes involving survival in the wilderness.

I enjoy Gary Paulsen’s books and have frequently recommended them to students. Those enjoying Hatchet may also like Brian’s Winter (1996), The River (1991), and Woodsong (1990). Paulsen’s books Hatchet, Dogsong (1985), and The Winter Room (1989) are all Newberry Honor Books.

Favorite Books for Fifth Grade Students

The BFG written by Roald Dahl and illustrated by Quentin Blake. (1982)

Reading Level: Age 9-12, but enjoyable at any age

The BFG is the story of Sophie, a tiny orphan girl who is snatched from her bed in the night after catching a glimpse of a large, shadowy figure on her street. That figure is the BFG, or Big Friendly Giant, who spends his time catching dreams, which he blows into the rooms of sleeping children at night. Fortunately for Sophie, the BFG is a kind giant, unlike the other giants in the world who eat children, known to them as “human beans.” The BFG eats only “snozzcumbers” and does not share in the other giants’ gastric delights. Sophie and the BFG become friends while drinking “frobscottle,” making “whizzpoppers,” discussing the particulars of dream catching and dream blowing, and playing practical jokes on the unpleasant giants. Sophie and The BFG develop a plan, along with the Queen of England to prevent the other giants from the grizzly practice of eating humans. In the end, Sophie and The BFG triumph and live happily.

This is a book that I enjoy reading over and over. The language is quite humorous. The story catches the reader immediately with the description of a dark street late at night and Sophie being seized from her bed by a large and mysterious hand. The camaraderie of a small girl and a giant is appealing, and of course the fact that this unlikely duo triumph over the evil giants makes it a great read. Quentin Blake’s illustrations complement the book extremely well. Those who enjoy The BFG should also enjoy other books written by Roald Dahl including The Witches, James and the Giant Peach, and Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.