Bob by Wendy Mass & Rebecca Stead (grades 3+)
This is a short fantasy novel written by two of our most loved authors, Wendy Mass (11 BIrthdays/Willow Falls series, A Mango Shaped Space, The Candymakers), and Rebecca Stead (When You Reach Me, Liar and Spy, Goodbye Stranger), so I was excited to get my hands on it.
Livy is visiting her grandmother for the first time in five years and has a feeling that there is something very important that she should remember about her grandmother's house. Bob is a short, green, zombie-ish creature that has been hiding in a closet for five years waiting for Livy's promised return. When the two are reunited, the adventures begin. The two friends begin a quest to determine who/what Bob is, and to help him find his way home. Along the way they make discoveries about friendship, family, growing up, and why Bob is wearing a chicken suit.
It can be tricky to find a fantasy novel that appeals to younger readers that might be turned off or intimidated by the much longer, and sometimes dark, Rowling/Riordan fantasy novels. Bob is a sweet story with plenty of mystery and magic.
This is a short fantasy novel written by two of our most loved authors, Wendy Mass (11 BIrthdays/Willow Falls series, A Mango Shaped Space, The Candymakers), and Rebecca Stead (When You Reach Me, Liar and Spy, Goodbye Stranger), so I was excited to get my hands on it.
Livy is visiting her grandmother for the first time in five years and has a feeling that there is something very important that she should remember about her grandmother's house. Bob is a short, green, zombie-ish creature that has been hiding in a closet for five years waiting for Livy's promised return. When the two are reunited, the adventures begin. The two friends begin a quest to determine who/what Bob is, and to help him find his way home. Along the way they make discoveries about friendship, family, growing up, and why Bob is wearing a chicken suit.
It can be tricky to find a fantasy novel that appeals to younger readers that might be turned off or intimidated by the much longer, and sometimes dark, Rowling/Riordan fantasy novels. Bob is a sweet story with plenty of mystery and magic.
Playing Atari with Saddam Hussein by Jennifer Roy with Ali Fadhil (grades 5+)
Ali Fadhil is an ordinary eleven year old boy living in Basra, Iraq when Operation Desert Storm begins and his life turns from school, friends, and video games; to food shortages, missing family members, and fear. This is a fictionalized memoir told from the perspective of an Iraqi boy who can't quite believe that the Americans who give him the western movies and comic books that he loves so much, might actually kill him and/or his family.
Obviously, this is heavy subject matter (Ali witnesses a public execution when lost in the city) and therefore I would not recommend it to students below 5th grade. It is a true(ish) story, so there is not such a strong narrative arc - but the step inside a young boy's life is interesting and informative.
Ali Fadhil is an ordinary eleven year old boy living in Basra, Iraq when Operation Desert Storm begins and his life turns from school, friends, and video games; to food shortages, missing family members, and fear. This is a fictionalized memoir told from the perspective of an Iraqi boy who can't quite believe that the Americans who give him the western movies and comic books that he loves so much, might actually kill him and/or his family.
Obviously, this is heavy subject matter (Ali witnesses a public execution when lost in the city) and therefore I would not recommend it to students below 5th grade. It is a true(ish) story, so there is not such a strong narrative arc - but the step inside a young boy's life is interesting and informative.
New Series:
The Creature of the Pines by Adam Gidwitz (grades 2+)
The first book in the Unicorn Rescue Society series by Adam Gidwitz (The Inquisitor's Tale, A Tale Dark and Grimm)
Elliott is spending his first day at a new school on a suspiciously dangerous field trip to the Pine Barrens. Out in the pines, Elliott rescues a mysterious creature, makes a brave new friend, and discovers a secret that his eccentric new teacher is hiding. An associate of the professor gives a brief lesson/sermon on American History that is educational, but feels a bit out of place. I suspect that future books in this series will also try to weave in some regional history (the next book, out in July, is set in Basque country).
The plot is predictable, but the writing is witty and fun. A good fantasy/adventure for emerging readers.
The first book in the Unicorn Rescue Society series by Adam Gidwitz (The Inquisitor's Tale, A Tale Dark and Grimm)
Elliott is spending his first day at a new school on a suspiciously dangerous field trip to the Pine Barrens. Out in the pines, Elliott rescues a mysterious creature, makes a brave new friend, and discovers a secret that his eccentric new teacher is hiding. An associate of the professor gives a brief lesson/sermon on American History that is educational, but feels a bit out of place. I suspect that future books in this series will also try to weave in some regional history (the next book, out in July, is set in Basque country).
The plot is predictable, but the writing is witty and fun. A good fantasy/adventure for emerging readers.