List of Books

Chapter Books

1.   Twilight by Stephanie Meyer
2.   The Hunger Games by Suzanne Colllins
3.   Joey Pigza Loses Control by Jack Gantos  (Newbery Award)
4.   The Cricket in Times Square by George Seldem (Newbery Award)
5.   Hatchet by Gary Paulsen (Newbery Award)
6.   Holes by Louis Sachar (Newbery Award)
7.   Wild Times at the Bed and Biscuit by Joan Carris (Blue Bonnet Award)
8.   The Witche's Guide to Cooking With Children by Keith Mcgowan (Blue Bonnet Award)
9.   The Buddy Files:  The Case of the Lost Boy by Dori Hillestad Butler (Blue Bonnet Award)
10. Keeping the Night Watch by Hope Anita Smith (Coretta Scott King)
11. Lockdown by Walter Dean Myers (Coretta Scott King)
12. Joey Pigza Swallowed the Key by Jack Gantos (Challenged Book)
13. Esio Trot by Roald Dahl (Challenged Book)
14. How To Eat Fried Worms by Thomas Rockwell (Challenged Book)
15. On My Honor by Marion Dane Bauer (Challenged Book)


Picture Books

1.   The Beebee Bird by Diane Redfield Massie (Challenged Book)
2.   The Hallelujah Flight by Phil Bildner (Blue Bonnet Award)
3.   The Lion and the Mouse by Jerry Pinkney (Caldecott Medal Award)
4.   The House in the Night by Susan Marie Swanson (Caldecott Medal Award)
5.   Flotsam by David Wiesner (Caldecott Medal Award)
6.   The Man Who Walked Between the Towers by Mordicai Gerstein (Caldecott Medal Award)
7.   Los Gatos Black onHalloween by Marisa Montes (Pura Belpre)
8.   My Colors, My World / Mis Colores, Mi Mundo by Maya Christina Gonzalez (Pura Belpre)
9.   Papa and Me by Arthur Dorros (Notable Children's Book)
10. A Couple of Boys Have the Best Week Ever by Marla Frazee (Notable Children's Book)
11. Chicken Said, "Cluck!" by Judyann Ackerman Grant (Notable Children's Book)
12. Freckleface Strawberry by Julianne Moore (New York Times Bestseller)
13. Grace for President by Kelly Dipucchio (New York Times Bestseller)
14. Hide and Sheep by Andrea Beaty (New York Times Bestseller)

Personal Reaction Blog

On My Honor by Marion Dane Bauer
I went through a rollercoaster of emotions with this book.  I felt betrayal when Joel lies to his dad and daring when the boys swam in the Vermillion River and wanted to climb the bluffs.  I was frightened when Tony went missing and desperate when Joel didn't know what to do about his missing friend.  Confused about how to face his parents, the police, and worst of all - Tony's parents!  I felt guilty and furious when the father finds out he let them go bike riding across town where it all started.  He was the adult and should have known better.  The author did an astonishing job making me feel what the characters were feeling and that is quite an accomplishment.  Not all books have that quality.  Officially one of my favorites!





Twilight by Stephenie Meyer
The author does a great job with Isabella's character portraying her as not your normal teenager.  It's conflict is a classic but the way the author express the romance in the book is amazing.  The story reminds me of highschool love.  Where the other person is the most important everything. Where you are willing to do anything for them and there are no impossibles.  It made me wonder when they were going to do "it"  over and over again.  So it had me in suspense. Excellent book choice. :) 





Keeping the Night Watch by Hope Anita Smith
This book has a strong message:  What doesn't kill you, makes you stronger!  This book reminds me of a middle school friend who would always complain about her dad and asked the same question, why did he leave?  The author does a fantastic job telling the reader in great detail how the character's anger toward his dad grows.  Like the character, my friend took over her dad's responsibilities or atleast that's what she felt.  I haven't spoken to her in a long time, but she hadn't made up with her father the last time I spoke with her.  Great book to share with children experiencing separation or divorced parents.


















Los Gatos Black on Halloween by Marisa Montes
The book has a particular style of word choice.  The first phrase "Los gatos black with eyes of green"  reminded me of my fourth grader's compositions.  They always write spanish words that they can't translate and put the adjective after the noun.  This is a great book to read in autumn, Halloween, or "El Dia de los Muertos" since my class is usually 95% hispanic.   
















My Colors, My World: Mis Colores, Mi Mundo by Maya Gonzalez
The book is nicely written in English and Spanish.  I like the way the author explains the desert and its sunset.  This book is for young children that are learning their colors in two languages.  I showed it to my daughter and she specially liked the page of inviting her guests for tea because she loves the color purple.





Joey Pigza Swallowed the Key by Jack Gantos
This book makes me understand children with ADHD better.  As a teacher, I've had students who suffer from this condition and it's not easy for them.  They need to be aware of their hyperactivity all the time to make sure they are not bothering others or their own learning.  Unfortunately because they are so active, they lose on some instructional time.  They tend to need special attention and help from afterschool programs such as tutoring centers. I love Joey Pigza's character for being so realistic.





The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins
This book reminded me of one thing, Reality TV.  It's a version of Survival where candidates are stranded on an island and are challeged to defeat the others.  Except the participants don't kill each other and the winners get cash not food.  The story also reminded me of my fathers stories when we were growing up.  He would tell us how hard it was to be responsible for his 12 smaller sibblings when my grandfather died.  Katniss takes the roles of her father and mother for a few years and feels completely responsible to protect her sister from such harsh games.  My favorite part of the book was when Katniss is looking for Rue and finds her caught in a net.  As Katniss approaches her, Rue is shot in the chest. Nooooo! It happened so fast I didn't expect it.  Awesome Book! :)





Lockdown by Walter Dean Myers
The author does a tremendous job in communicating the voice of urban black teenagers.  Reese's narration is so well-written that it captivates the reader and convinces that the character is desperate.  Love the real life story plot and how the conflicts slowly rise.  Even in his times of hopelessness, Reese's desire to help his sister make her goals a reality is inspiring.  I had never read such a compelling book like this and have already recommended it to my 14 year old nephew.  I know he will enjoy it!





Esio Trot by Roald Dahl
Cuttest chapter book ever!  The story shows how being a determined person can get anyone what they want - with a few tricks, ofcourse.  I loved how the author was able to put love, romance, suspense, and a happily ever after all in one short story.  I enjoyed how the author gave us an explanation as to what happens with Tortoise #1 at the end.  Great book to read at the beginning of the year to show that you can work through any problem as long as you keep trying (motivation).   





How To Eat Fried Worms by Thomas Rockwell
This story took me back when I was growing up in Veracruz, Mexico.  We weren't afraid to try anything and we bet each other all the time to do crazy stunts.  Nothing was impossible for us and we wanted to try new things - explore.  Never a boring day!  Even though it isn't mentioned, I think the author wrote a bit about his upbringing because it has to take someone with personal experience to think like a kid and write about it so well.  Great book to share with kids who don't spend a lot of time outdoors and might be motivated to play outside with the ideas given in this book.















The Baby Beebee Bird by Diane Redfield Massie
This picture book is about how a new baby bird arrived at the zoo and won't let any animal sleep.  The zoo animals join forces and plan to make sure they don't spend another sleepless night.  The animal's dialogue is halarious, entertaining, and the author emphasizes several words by capatalizing.  This book is perfect for young reader who like animals and might be thinking to head out on a zoo field trip. 




Freckleface Strawberry by Julianne Moore
This warm, loving, heart-felt story shows kids to love themselves no matter what.  The author tells the reader that whatever they don't like about themselves, freckles or hair color, they need to learn to live with it because that is what makes them unique.  Everyone is different and children need to learn how to accept that.  This book teaches young children to accept themselves for who they are and not try to change or hide what make them special but should embrace it.




Hide and Sheep by Andrea Beaty
After the farm's cat casts a spell to "shut up" all the animals, he makes things turn upside down.  The dog lets out a Baaa, the chickens oink, and the sheeps bark.  The author creates an adorable and comical story about farm animals young readers can enjoy. Her bright, bold, and colorful illustrations make the animals come to life.




Grace For President by Kelly Dipucchio
After Grace learns that no woman has ever been president she decides to run for the presidential election in her class.  As Grace becomes a candidate, she soon learns how challenging it is to run a winning campaign.  This book introduces political life and electorial politics to youngsters in an interesting and fun reading selection.   I plan to use this well-written book when elections in my school start and maybe inspire students to run for treasure, vice-president, or some other political office position.

Papa and Me

This book does not follow the traditional story plot line.  It tells how a boy spends a typical day with his dad.  The story shows how well they get along through breakfast, they head out to the park, then to the beach, and finally take a bus home to visit the boy's grandparents.  It can be used in the classroom to teach the theme of family and how special we all are.   The illustrations in this book help the text and its lines of color swirl  in many directions to define different settings.  The variation in color impacts the brightness and creates a smooth texture for each illustration.





 Dorros, A. (2008). Papa and me. New York, NY: Harper-Collins Publishers.

A Couple Of Boys Have The Best Week Ever

Exposition:  On a hot summer day, a boy named James heads out to Nature Camp with his friend Eamon.
Conflict:  The grandparents wanted to take them to the Nature Camp but the boy prefered to do something else.
Rising Action:  The children spent the whole week inside the house playing with video games, watching T.V., and eating snacks.
Climax:  After eating popcorn in the living room area, they decide to held outside for the night.
Falling Action:  The children enjoy looking at the stars, playing with shell, and other nature-made things they found.
Resolution:  The boys' last night was the best night they had at Nature Camp and hoped to come back soon again.

Excellent illustrations establish the mood and provide a differing viewpoint from the characters than what the text suggests.



Frazee, M. (2008). A couple of boys have the best week ever. Orlando, FL: Harcout, Inc.

Chicken Said, "Cluck!"

Exposition:  Two children, Earl and Pearl, are eager to grow a pumpkin patch.
Conflict:  Critters raid the pumpkins for lunch.
Rising Action:  They "Shoo" away chicken as the children plant and grow their pumpkin patch.
Climax:  Grasshoppers eat and munch on the pumpkins.
Falling Action:  The children can't get rid of the grasshopper invasion.
Resolution:  Chicken comes to the rescue and "clucks" at the frantic grasshoppers.

The illustrations in this book are well-developed for young readers since they develop and extend the plot while reinforcing the text.

Grant, JA. (2008). Chicken said, "cluck!". New York, NY: Harper-Collins Publishers.

Joey Pigza Loses Control

Exposition:  Joey Pigza is a youngster that is over active because of his ADHD condition.
Conflict:  He is about to meet his father, Carter, after several years and is worried his dad won't like him.
Rising Action:  Carter want to make up for all the wrong doing and wants to teach his son how to be a winner in life.
Climax:  Trying to teach his son to be like other boys, Carter gets rid of Joey's medicine.
Falling Action:  Without his medication, Joey's behavior goes south quickly.
Resolution:  Joey desperately tries to please his father even though he knows that his father's decisions are not very wise and are dangerous.

Literary Qualities
1.  Character - Many people can relate and identify with Joey Pigza's character including, children,  teenages, and even parents.
2.  Accuracy - The books makes you understand and see ADHD in a different perspective readers can easily trust.
Gantos, J. (2000). Joey pigza loses control. New York, NY: Farrar, Straus and Giroux

The Cricket in Times Square

Exposition:  Chester Cricket arrives to Times Square in New York City on a train from Conneticut.
Conflicts:  Chester is taken from his quiet country place to a noisy city he is not accustomed to and is now a pet for a boy named Mario Bellini.
Rising Action:  He meets Tucker Mouse and Harry Cat who live in a drainpipe near the newstand where Cricket lives and become great friends over the summer.
Climax:  After sometime, they discover that Chester Cricket can mimic the music he hears from the radio perfectly.
Falling Action:  After a letter is written to the New York Times about the cricket's talent, Chester gives concerts and makes the Bellini's a fortune in the newstand.  With time, Chester Cricket becomes tired of the concerts and Mario sees how sad he is.
Resolution:   Mario encourages Chester to do what makes him happy.  Chester decides to go back to his quiet countryside hoping to get a visit from Tucker and Harry someday.

Literary Qualities
1. Pacing - The book's pacing is a literary quality because of the author's ability to linger over the content in detail.
2.  Theme - The book teaches children the important of friendship and letting  others be happy.
Selden, G. (2008). The cricket in times square. New York, NY: Square Fish.