Trouble-Maker by Andrew Clements

Now that graduate school is DONE...that's right...I'm able to get back to writing about some great (or not so great) children's literature. This weekend, I began reading Trouble-Maker by Andrew Clements.


This book as a tale about a student who had a bad reputation but made changes for the better. In his period of transformation, he learned about himself, how his actions affected others, and how others viewed him. Told from the joint perspective of Mrs. Ormin, the school secretary, and Clay, the student trouble-maker, we are taken on a journey of how Clay changes his behavior for the better. The principal, who trusts this change that he has seen in Clay, has some decisions to make himself.

You'll be surprised by the ending of this story, and admire the hard work that Clay has to undergo throughout the story.

Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing by Judy Blume

 

Ahhh! What else can be said?  This book is the perfect introduction into what thoughts a fourth grader may have on life...especially a fourth grader with an annoying younger brother!  Pee-tah (Peter) and his younger brother, Fudge, have a love hate relationship.  Fudge loves to annoy his older brother and get into his things.  Peter hates everything about his annoying brother.  Not even a chain lock on his bedroom door can help Peter deter his younger brother from annoyance.   Fudge makes a big mistake, one that costs him any future friendship with Peter...he eats Peters pet turtle.  (Yuck!)  

Children will relate to the stories Peter tells.  Any children who love Junie B. Jones or Judy Moody will enjoy the writing done my Judy Blume in this chapter book.

Because of Mr. Terupt by Rob Buyea

 

This book takes a classroom of students and describes the events of the school year...the good AND the bad! This book would be an amazing read aloud to discuss point of view and character analysis through the strategy of compare/contrast.

After reading the story the students could also work on a writing piece describing the characters and relating which character may describe them the most.

There are a lot of emotional feelings that are brought up in this story, but they can easily be applied to real life situations that many students could relate to. Students will be hooked in with the storyline and flow of the story. {there are also great cliffhangers that could be stopping points if you are using this story as a read aloud}

100 Cupboards by N.D. Wilson

I'm going to be starting a new series of posts on the latest Children's Literature books that I have been reading.  I know that this series will not be as big at first due to the amount of torture reading that I have to do for graduate school.  For now, I'll be sure to post a brief summary of the book as well as a picture of the book cover.  So, up first is a great book called 100 Cupboards by N.D. Wilson.

 

This book was about a young boy, Henry, whose parents have been abducted.  He is forced to live with his Aunt and Uncle in Kansas.  Once he arrives, some strange things begin to happen in the attic room he is living in.  He begins to explore and finds many doors are hidden behind the wall.  He, and his cousin, begin to open and explore the doors.  Some are harmless doors that have pleasant feelings associated with them.  One is an ominous door that makes Henry feel uneasy.  

This book is a good read, especially for boys.  It is full of adventure and mystery.  Not sure if there is a sequel, but this book would be a great beginning to a series.  Students who enjoy reading Harry Potter would also enjoy reading this book!