Flavin, Teresa. Suitcase. N. 1999
Xander is only 11 years old and he’s already over 6 feet tall. He hates basketball and knows he’s not the athletic son his father wanted. He decides to show the gym rats he can beat them at their own game.
TAGS: school, gym class, basketball, boy, sports, fathers, John F. Kennedy, N, Level N, November
Roland, Timothy. Comic Guy: Our Crazy Class Election. N. 2007.
The first in a series. Guy maloney is trying to find material for his school newspaper comic strip. He decides to run for homeroom president against Tank, the school’s biggest bully, and Ollie, the science room pet monkey.
TAGS: school, Comic Guy, elections, bullies, monkeys, John F. Kennedy, Level N, N, November
Kline, Suzy. Horrible Harry and the Ant Invasion. N. 1989.
Harry has been chosen to be “ant monitor” for his class. When a few of the ants manage to escape, Horrible Harry knows exactly what to do.
TAGS: school, ants, bugs, mystery, fish, John F. Kennedy, N, Level N, November
Donnelly, Judy. The Titanic: Lost… and Found. N. 1987.
This is a nonfiction book about the size and details of the Titanic, the shipwreck, and, finally, the discovery of the wreck 75 years later. The story of the wreck is a narrative but does not follow any one person in particular. Kids who are interested probably have outside knowledge from more recent books. With illustrations in marker. Chapters are 10-15 pages long.
TAGS: Nonfiction, chapter, ships, titanic, history, transportation, shipwrecks, disasters, archaeology, movie, n
INFO: Danzinger, Paula. Amber Brown Goes Fourth. N. 1995.
DESC: A hilarious and riveting addition to the Amber Brown series. Paula Danzinger has created a believable, high-spirited and immensely unforgettable character in Amber Brown, who lost her father to divorce, her mother to an annoying new boyfriend, and her best friend to a sudden move to Alabama in the series’ seminal Amber Brown Is Not a Crayon. Here, we see Amber struggling to get ready to enter fourth grade – in the midst of all of these hectic life-changes! How will Amber navigate the fourth grade without her best friend, Justin Daniels? And how will she navigate the trials of back-to-school with her beloved father far away in France? Amber, true-blue, handles all of this with characteristic honesty, spunk, and humor – and, although your kiddos will cheer her on as she “goes fourth,” neither of you will want this one to end!
TAGS: humor, back-to-school, growing up, divorces, family issues, mother-daughter relationships, mothers and daughters, best friends, friends moving away, popularity, friendship between girls, changes, new starts, school, classrooms, 4th grade, summer vacation, fiction, chapter, N
INFO: Cameron, Ann. Julian’s Glorious Summer. N. 1987.
DESC: Ann Cameron’s Julian and Huey series is beyond description. Imagination, hilarious, gripping, believable and dynamic all at once, Cameron traces the life-and-times of Julian and Huey, two unforgettable, spunky and audacious brothers growing up in a middle-class African-American neighborhood. This story follows Julian, notorious fibber, as he faces his biggest fear – riding a bicycle (or maybe even bicycles, in general) with characteristic gusto, flair, and well-intentioned missteps. Julian’s (ig)noble attempts to get himself out of contact with bikes (since his best friend Gloria just got one of her own) end up getting him indentured to his father for the summer. Will Julian ever learn to tell the truth?! Cameron’s book delivers all the “big lessons” that one would expect from a children’s summertime classic – but with a believably, edgy, enduring and modern sense of creative flair. For fans of the unique voice and style of Amber Brown or Junie B. Jones – or for those young kiddos just plain bored with tame shenanigans – please welcome Julian and Huey to your pantheon!
TAGS: bicycles, summertime, julian and huey, adventure, lying, telling the truth, fear, fear of bicycles, impressing friends, trusting, understanding, parent-child relationships, humor, funny, funny parts, hilarious, N, fiction, chapter
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INFO: Danzinger, Paula. What a Trip, Amber Brown! N. 2001.
DESC: Although it hails from acclaimed, hilarious and beloved Amber Brown maven Paula Danzinger (R.I.P., Paula!), What a Trip comes from Danzinger’s “A is for Amber” younger reader’s series. While the book makes for a Henry-and-Mudge-esque introduction to the world of Amber, it is very, very “young” feeling for a level N – if a student can handle What a Trip, Amber Brown, with its copious illustrations and much-reduced level of charming punnery, they can certainly handle – and benefit from – reading Amber Brown herself. Suggested for students in the K-L range – especially since Amber, here, seems to be about 5, rather than 7 or 8. While still recognizably Amber, the “very young reader” lens definitely clouds the potential appeal for our 2nd and 3rd graders. Still – great for getting some classic “Amber spirit” in the house for a quick one-or-two session read, or for any students who love summer, vacations, camping, or all three!
TAGS: amber brown, paula danzinger, summer, camping, mountains, pools, friendships, argument, vacation, summer vacation, easy readers, easy reads, quick, non-intimidating, N-runs-low, N, fiction
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