Grade 5 summer Reading

I feel pretty solid about my booklist this year. Probably because I've actually read almost all of them.

The One and Only Ivan -K. Applegate
Sky Sailors -D. Bristow
Monkey King: Birth of the Stone Monkey -W. Chen
The Dark Hills Divide -P. Carman
The Search for Wondla -T. Diterlizzi
Falling In -F. O. Dowell
Out of my mind -S. M. Draper
Soldier Bear -T. B. Dumon
The Big Splash -J. Ferraiolo
At the Sign of the Sugared Plum -M. Hooper
The Girl Behind the Glass -J. Kelley
The Scepter of the Ancients -D. Landy
This is Just to Say -J. Sidman
William S. and the Great Escape -Z. K. Snyder
You'll like it here (everybody does) -R. White

Summer and Bird

by: Katherine Catmull

Ages: 12+ ... hmmm tough one
Rating: 5/5

About: One morning two sisters wake up to an empty house. Their mother and father are nowhere to be found. All that is left is an open window, and unlocked secret closet and a coded message from their mother. So those sisters set out into the forest to find their parents. They find instead a bird with patchwork plummage, a secret way into another forest very different from the one they know and they find they are not who they thought they were, they are not the sisters that they thought they were, and life is more complex than they thought they knew.

Thoughts:
Beautiful and weird and wonderful.

I don't know how to describe how I feel about this book, except that I loved it.

The writing was beautiful, descriptive and thoughtful and often poetic.  Many aspects of the story were weird, with magic and side stories that seemed to come out of nowhere and yet were important to the larger world of the story. The evil in the story was a twisted story on its own, and even though the "bad guy" gets defeated the conflict doesn't entirely resolve... at least right away because the conflict has roots beyond the typical villain.  This story was wonderful, it was heartfelt and has the feel of classic fairytale fantasies (think The Neverending Story).

The age recommendation for this story is difficult. It's a children's story, but the pace is slow enough that I don't think it would appeal to a lot of emerging readers. There is a sense of philosophy in this story about true selves, love, mistakes, pride, family, death, balance. It's not inappropriate for a nine year old, the story is just a bit dry and can be complex. And yet, it's quite simple in a lot of ways -a family does it's best to find eachother but there are obstacles in their way. I think this would be a great book to be read out loud -especially for a mom to read to her daughters. The father, poor guy, gets left behind. The story very much revolves around the relationships between the sisters, and the mother and her daughters.

The narrative tries hard to teach the reader about the different perspectives in a conflict or disagreement. I didn't mind this for the most part, but it got tired near the end. Maybe in part because even understanding those perspectives doesn't necessarily make for easy resolutions. In part because it doesn't give the reader credit to make those understandings on their own.

Gregor the Overlander

Author: Suzanne Collins
Age: 9-14
Rating: 3/5

Summary: One afternoon Gregor and his baby sister fall through an open air vent into a world he never dreamed was possible. Cockroaches, bats and rats grow to incredible sizes and almost as surprising for Gregor is that there is a thriving human city here. The Underlanders can help Gregor get home, but they are on the brink of war and need his help.

Thoughts: This book is around the 300 page mark, but the reading level is pretty easy. It would be fine for that advanced reader who is still too young for more serious or explicit content, but still good for an older student who reads at a lower level. The story itself progresses quickly and the quest is easy to follow. The main hero -Gregor- is very likable. He places his family first and their worries above his own, he is loyal, he believes in fair play and justice. Gregor is also sensitive to others, not only his family but even with people (or creatures) he doesn't particularly like.


This book got a three because I'd recommend it, and I can appreciate why kids would like this story, but there are so many other adventures out there that I've enjoyed much more. As an adult my biggest beef is that the conflicts were too easily resolved for me to be satisfied with the story or to be much excited for the rest of the series. But as a kid for whom this is intended -it's just right.

I have many many boys who tell me they love this series and would like to read something similar. That's the tough part. I'd recommend trying:

-The Percy Jackson and the Olympians Series by Rick Riordan
- Keys to the Kingdom Series by Garth Nix
-The Book of Ember Series by Jeanne DuPrau

Know any other read-a likes?

A Tree Grows in Brooklyn

Author: Betty Smith
Rating: 5/5
Ages: 12+

I’ve been recommended this book so often by people that I love and respect, and some by whom I was totally surprised to learn this was their favourite book of all time. I tucked the information away, but never picked up the book to read it. And really only ever thought of it when I’d see somebody reading it. Then I bought a t-shirt with the cover printed on it. Normally, I never would get a shirt that advertised something so boldly about myself, especially since I hadn’t read the book. But it looked so comfy and I liked the cover image a lot. I promised myself I wouldn’t wear it until I read the book. Well, I didn’t follow through on that. I found a copy, but wore the shirt before I even broke the spine. I’ve never had so many strangers be so eager to talk to me as when I wear that shirt. It is a lot of people’s favourite book! What a fraud I felt wearing that shirt… So I finally picked up the book.

And I’m pleasantly surprised by this thoughtfully written, slowly unfolding story. It’s the story of a girl who is growing up in Brooklyn New York at the turn of the century. Not a whole lot happens. It is not full of action or suspense, but it built a curiosity inside me about the characters and their lives that made we want to get to know them better. I’m not sure I’ve ever gotten to know a character so well as Katie or Francie Nolan.
This is a thinking story. The characters spend a lot of time just thinking. They think about the people in their communities, about the people in their families and about their lives and what is important in a good life and about their place in the world. So this would be best shared or recommended to a “thinker.” The story could be moralizing at times, which made me think that this might be a story to share with a daughter or special little girl of 11 or 12 years old, or if you have that type of relationship maybe a daughter older. Some points of discussion that could be raised with them might be about pride, wants/needs, morality, sexuality, marriage and faith.

One of the things that really makes this a recommended story by me is that Francie is so in love with life. She finds so much beautiful around her, and I love the way the author describes everyday objects or routines in a way that allows the reader to see them beautiful too. If this is on your “to read” list and you’re looking for a classic, consider this one.

Castle Waiting

Vol.1 & Vol.2
Author: Linda Medley
Ages: 14+
Rating: 4/5

What is it about?
Once upon a time there was a castle. In that castle were a good and wise King and Queen, and in their kingdom was peace. But the King and Queen wanted a baby, and this is where the trouble begins. Fast forward a hundred years and everybody in the castle awakens when a prince wakes a princess with a kiss. Then the prince and princess abandon the castle and all the people in it. This book is about what happens after that.


Why I loved it?
This is a story about stories. Many many years after the prince and princess abandon the castle only three handmaidens remain of the original inhabitants. The castle becomes a place where misfits find refuge from a cruel world outside. The characters are dynamic and each has a background story, though we're not introduced to all the backgrounds yet. The characters are a family: the love each other and they drive each other crazy, and they have secrets from each other -seemingly convinced that the rest couldn't accept or love them as well if all the details were known. The stories are endearing and funny and some are a little bit heartbreaking -which is a trait I kind of love in a story.


I would recommend this graphic novel for an older audience because I don't think that it would be as well appreciated by anyone younger. But, somebody younger might read it and enjoy it, then come back in a few years and appreciate it in a different way. NOTE: Some 'cussing', nothing too harsh but probably not something you'd want a 9 year old repeating.  

This rating could only be higher if I didn't have to wait so long for the next volume, which as far as I can tell doesn't even have an anticipated release date yet.

Garmann's Summer

Author: Stian Hole
Age: 5+
Rating: 5/5

About: Summer is almost over which means that 6 year old Garmann will start school for the first time. But he's nervous and a little scared, and he still has all of his baby teeth. And like every summer, his three elderly Aunties are coming to visit. This year, Garmann wonders if they are afraid of anything?

Thoughts:

"Every year the aunts come for a few days,

bringing rheumatism, hernias, and almond tart." 

p. 2

I love the writing. Mostly simple sentences, which are perfect because the story is about a six year old and his ideas and wonderings. It has an interesting balance between jadedness or skepticism and innocence. Or maybe it is the balance between such a serious yet honest question in relation to the unique illustrations, but I thought it quite poetic.

This story was thoughtful and charming and interesting. Garmann asks two big questions like"what are you afraid of" and "are you afraid to die?" The answers that the Aunties and his parents give are all a little different, and while they make him feel better -he's still scared.
But that's okay -aren't we all?

I want to own this.

The Graveyard Book

Author: Neil Gaiman
Rating:4/5
Ages: 9+

Summary:
Bod was adopted as a baby, and has grown into a normal boy. As normal as a boy who was adopted and raised by ghosts that is. He lives in an old and sprawling graveyard, and only has only ever met one other living person, well half-living, and that is his mysterious guardian Silas. Bod's adventures in and around (and below) the graveyard will not leave you bored.

Thoughts:
I read this a few years ago, and I admit I'm a little foggy on the details of my first impressions of the book. I do know that enjoyed reading this book, and that it was fun to read about Bod's adventures growing up in a graveyard -learning the secrets of ghosts, venturing where he was told never to go, even the loneliness the first time he makes a wholly human friend. This was a good adventure with a little bit of mystery and darkness.

The thing that still stands out for me is the character Silas. We never do learn very much about him, just that he lives in both worlds, ghost and human. I would love it if Gaiman wrote a companion novel just about Silas and his adventures, or history.