The Castle Corona

Creech, Sharon. The Castle Corona. New York: Joanna Cotler Books, 2007.

Pia and her brother, Enzio are orphans living in an abusive home. While out collecting water, they find a pouch with mysterious contents dropped by a thief. Meanwhile, back at the castle, the King, his Queen and their three children are disturbed to find a thief has been in their midst.

The story goes back and forth between the young orphaned peasants and the royal family. Both families have problems with which they must deal. Stir in two wise hermits, know-it-all friends, a creative wordsmith, and an abusive master and you have the makings of a wonderful story.

As I have already mentioned in a previous post, Sharon Creech is my new favorite author. The Castle Corona was not my all time favorite book by Creech, but it was still very good. I had part of the story figured out very early in the story, but there were still a few twists that I did not entirely anticipate. Over all, I would recommend this book to students who like fantasy--especially when it is mixed with a little down to earth reality.

Clements, Andrew. The Last Holiday Concert. New York: Scholastic, Inc., 2004.

Hart Evans, the most popular student at Palmer Intermediate, somehow finds himself elected the director of the Holiday Concert when his teacher, Mr. Meinert, tells the class that it is their concert, therefore their responsibility. The teacher, hoping to regain control of his class through Hart’s failure, soon learns that Hart is more than just a rubber band wielding sixth grader. Hart manages to rally the other students of the Chorus into creating a memorable program. Although he still needs help from Mr. Meinert from time to time, he teaches the teacher about students, about control, and about management.

I enjoyed reading this book. The thing I liked the best was that it does not have a happy ending. I expected everything to be fixed by the end, but it was not. That was very refreshing since most children’s authors find a way to fix everything that is bad in the world and wrap it all up in a neat little package. Definitely a must-read for any Clements fans!

What others have to say…

“The popular Clements achieves a judicious balance of teacher-student conflict, school comedy, and seasonal pathos in this lively crowd-pleaser.”

Sutton, Roger. 2004. "The Last Holiday Concert." Horn Book Magazine 80, no. 6: 657-657. Library, Information Science & Technology Abstracts with Full Text, EBSCOhost (accessed May 8, 2009).

The Homework Machine

Gutman, Dan. The Homework Machine. New York: Simon and Schuster Books for Young Readers, 2006.

Sam, Judy, Kelsey, and Brenton are four students with absolutely nothing in common except that they are in the same group in their fifth grade class. Their teacher put them together, but a slip of Brenton’s tongue keeps them together. Brenton invented a homework machine so that instead of spending his time doing homework, he could be doing much more important things such as finding a cure for spinal cord injuries. When the others see the machine work, they begin coming over every day to use the machine. What they do not realize is that although they have nothing in common besides the machine, their shared experiences (including a mysterious stalker and a computer that has a mind of its own) are helping them forge lasting friendships.

This story is told through the perspective of each character as they are being interrogated. Initially, I did not like the way the story switched from perspective to perspective as I read, but after the first chapter, I found it made the book even more interesting. I found myself hearing the story in different voices as I got to know each character. I would recommend this book for upper elementary students who enjoy mystery and humor rolled up in the same package.

What others have to say…

“A dramatic and thought-provoking story with a strong message about honesty and friendship.”

Knight, Elaine E. 2006. "The Homework Machine." School Library Journal 52, no. 4: 140-140. Library, Information Science & Technology Abstracts with Full Text, EBSCOhost (accessed May 8, 2009).

The Ghost's Grave

Kehret, Peg. The Ghost’s Grave. New York: Scholastic, 2005.

“The night I moved in with Aunt Ethel, she shot a bat in the kitchen.” So begins the story of Josh McDowell, a twelve-year-old boy who is sent to spend the summer with his stepfather’s great-aunt. Josh dreads spending the summer with someone he does not know and missing out on summer baseball just because his mother and stepfather have to go to India to work. Aunt Ethel is an eccentric old woman who hates bats, makes the best cakes in the county (thanks to sour cream), and believes that her late sister has been reincarnated as a peacock. In an effort to have some fun, Josh asks about a tree house in which his stepfather used to play. The tree house turns out to be the beginning of a summer Josh will never forget. In just a few days, Josh takes in a stray cat, meets a ghost, defiles a grave, discovers a box of stolen money, and becomes a hero.

The Ghost’s Grave kept my interest from start to finish. It was a bit predictable, but very entertaining. There was just enough intrigue to keep my interest piqued without making me stressed about the possible outcomes. Students who love mystery and adventure should enjoy reading this book.

What others have to say…

“By turns comic and scary, Kehret’s seventeenth novel is rooted in both the supernatural and the gritty reality of coal miners’ lives in the first years of the last century.”

Fletcher, Connie. 2005. "Ghost's Grave (Book)." Booklist 101, no. 18: 1658-1658. Academic Search Complete, EBSCOhost (accessed May 8, 2009).

Cammuso, Frank and Jay Lynch. Otto’s Orange Day. New York: The Little Lit Library, 2008.

Otto loves orange! He believes the world would be boring without orange. When a genie appears from a lamp that his Aunt Sally Lee sends him, he wishes that EVERYTHING in the world was orange. A little bit of orange is great, but everything orange can be a problem, even for someone who loves orange.

This graphic novel is just fun. Otto thinks he is getting a good thing when he wishes that everything would be orange, but he soon finds out that when everything is one color, life can be pretty boring. It is a good thing that his Aunt Sally Lee can help him, but Otto is ultimately the one who saves the day.

What others have to say…

“The cartoons are lively and colorful. Clear chapter divisions, a clean graphic design, and large-size print make this title more appropriate for early readers than most comic-book offerings.”
Fleishhacker, Joy. 2008. "Otto's Orange Day." School Library Journal 54, no. 5: 153-153. Academic Search Complete, EBSCOhost (accessed May 8, 2009).

Island Book One: Shipwreck

Korman, Gordon. Island Book One: Shipwreck. New York: Scholastic, 2001.

Six wayward children are brought together by different circumstances to take part in CNC, Charting a New Course. The children are sent to be crew members of a schooner leaving Guam. What was supposed to be a one month excursion turns into a nightmare. The ship is damaged in a storm, the captain is thrown overboard, the first mate abandons the children, and then, in an effort to fix the engine, the boat explodes. The reader is left not knowing who has survived since this book is part one of a series.

Island Book One: Shipwreck is well written and intriguing. Once I got involved with the characters, I did not want to put it down. Now, I have to read the rest of the series to find out what happens to the children. I think any child in middle elementary to middle school will find this book interesting. There are girls and boys represented in the book, and each has their own problems and challenges.

What others have to say...

“This novel is an enjoyable look into what can happen to six children who need direction and are sent on a journey to reshape their lives.”

August, Nicole. 2001. “Shipwreck: Island Book One.” http://search.barnesandnoble.com/Shipwreck/Gordon-Korman/e/9780439164566/?itm=1#TABS (accessed May 8, 2009).

Ruby Holler

Creech, Sharon. Ruby Holler. New York: Joanna Cotler Books, 2002.

Dallas and Florida Carter, “the trouble twins,” have been in and out of foster homes and just cannot seem to get out of The Boxton Creek Home, a decrepit orphanage. Mr. and Mrs. Trepid, the managers of the orphanage have rules…lots and lots of rules. Unfortunately, Dallas and Florida keep breaking the rules and end up in the “thinking corner” in the basement for hours at a time.

When Tiller and Sairy come into their lives, the twins are skeptical. Will they be sent back to the home? Will they be punished for touching things? What horrible things will they have to do? Life begins to change for Dallas and Florida as they realize that there are people who are capable of love and actually care for others. For these two unwanted children, life, love and hope can all be found in Ruby Holler.

Once again…New Favorite Author. I read this book in its entirety after TAKS (once my student was finished…the test was turned in…there were no testing irregularities…) I simply could not put it down! Honestly, I kept waiting for something very bad to happen. I knew it was coming, but did not want to see anything happen to any of these characters. Creech has a wonderful way of making the characters so alive that they jump right out of the book and into the heart.

What others have to say…

“A supremely satisfying story, told with healthy doses of drama, suspense, and humor.”

2003. "Ruby Holler (Book)." School Library Journal 49, no. 10: 54-54. Academic Search Complete, EBSCOhost (accessed May 8, 2009).