Crossover

Novel in verse... about basketball, growing up, competing with siblings and dealing with death. A story that many will enjoy! #bookaday

Finding Serendipity

A girl's mother is a famous author, but no one knows it.  They keep her author world separate from her private world.  But one day, her mom goes missing and Tuesday (the young girl) learns about the story land where her mother goes every day to write...but dangers await is this world of imagination.  #bookaday

Belly Up

The start of the #FunJungle Adventure with the opening of a new animal adventure park, right here in Texas near San Antonio.  To think we have a theme park I didn't know about!  Right from the start you learn of the "murder" of the mascot... hippo and the zoologist's son that tries to solve the murder to prevent more animal killings.  #bookaday

Ghosts

A heartwarming story about a family that has to move due to an illness of their youngest daughter.  Story told through the older sister's view point of that move... missing friends, making new friends and the what-might-happen when the illness overcomes her sister.  Touching in graphic novel format.

Land of Fake Believe: The Three Little Pugs

Mixed up fracture fairy tales... In this one the Three Little Pugs are up to no good as used car salesmen that are selling "lemons".  Great color and like a graphic novel.  

a handful of stars

Dare to be different, even when change is hard.  Life changes but sometimes we wish it could just stay the same. But staying the same would not bring new and possibly awesome people and events into our lives.

The Key to Extraordinary

Finding your destiny.  Is our destiny just one thing we might do that is extraordinary, or the things we do in every day life that matter the most?  A book to make you think!  

Roller Girl

Graphic novel about a girl seeking a new adventure while getting further and further away from her best friend.  The BFF she's known for years doesn't want to join in the same fun...they separate for the summer and find themselves quite mad and jealous of each other.  Will they be able to reconcile before Junior High School begins?  Can you be friends with someone who doesn't like the same things as you?

Ratscalibur

A boy finds himself in the form of a rat after he and his mother moved to New York for a better job and getting a "pet" from his uncle Patrick.  The rat was supposedly dying and talked to the young boy.  He gave him a mission to find someone (some rat) that could help and tell him he had failed his mission.  The boy/rat finds himself on this journey that cannot end until he helps the ragical community out with a major problem.

Sunny Side Up

The author says this book is somewhat autobiographical.  For me also.  Set during the 1970s, a young girl finds she has to go live with her grandfather in Florida for part of the summer without realizing the family truth... her older brother is on drugs and alcohol.  You get a glimpse of what is happening with the brother, but the focus is on what is happening with the young girl in Florida.  The grandfather tries his best to make the stay like a vacation, but what can a tween really do in a retirement village with everyone around older that 55?

Woof

Such a fun and suspenseful story all told from the dog's point of view.  A girl that is living with her grandmother adopts a dog from the shelter.  She calls him Bowser.  You get to hear along the journey of the girl trying to solve the mystery of a break in at her grandmother's bait shop, how a dog might interpret life events...get distracted, yet remain a loyal companion.  

A look at a bartering system where a pirate starts with a button and barters up to a boat. Simplet text highly supported by detailed illustrations.  #bookaday

Two White Rabbits

A girl and her father escape from their own country by walking, train and truck.  The words tell of a little girl who pays close attention to the details around her while the illustrations tell of their journey as refugees.  #bookaday

Mother Bruce

A grumpy bear accidentally discovers motherhood with 4 baby geese.  #bookaday

Treat

A one word graphic novel where a dog is desperately trying to communicate to his humans that he wants a treat. #bookaday

Harriet the Invincible

A fractured Sleeping Beauty fairy tale.  Sleeping Beauty (aka Harriet) is a hamster princess that is not all that princessy.  She likes adventures although her parents wish she didn't.  There are many similarities to the traditional Sleeping Beauty... curse as baby, pricking of a finger, falling a sleep until prince kisses to wake up... but there is a twist in the curse and resolution.  #bookaday

Crenshaw

As a boy's family approaches financial struggles, possibly loosing their home, his early childhood imaginary friend reappears.  The story flashes back to the first time his family was homeless and Crenshaw first appeared in his life.  Now, when facing the same dilemma, he finds this imaginary friendship invaluable.

Sophie Brown tells the adventure of her and her family's move to a farm through letters she writes to mostly dead people in her life.  They inherited this farm, city folk themselves, but she finds caring for these unusual chickens a calling and will do whatever she has to to keep them safe.

Circus Mirandus

A young boy finds himself in the search for a "favor", one his grandfather was promised a life-time ago.  The search takes him to a magical circus full of wonder and intrigue and hope.  A fantasy world set inside the real world.

The Chicken Squad

Chickens that seek adventure and a squirrel with issues that are all watched over by a retired search-and-rescue dog.  I enjoyed the suspense of them trying to figure out what the UFO was in the yard and what it was planning to do.  Great transitional chapter book with illustrations to support the text.  #bookaday

The Terrible Two

Miles is the new kid and Niles is the student helper.  They both have something in common; they like to pull pranks.  All Miles can think about on the first day of school is doing something to be known for...becoming the school prankster.  But plans are foiled when someone else pulls a prank before him. Reminds me of the book, Pickle by Kimberly Baker. #bookaday

How Lunchbox Jones Saved Me From Robots, Traitors, and Missy the Cruel

A boy finds there is more to life than video gaming through a forced participation on a First Lego League... learns to be a leader, learns to work as a team and that winning isn't everything.  Also learns to forgive.  A super, and not too serious, realistic fiction that would make a great read-a-loud for a class or family.

Nightmares!

At first, honestly, I really wasn't sure about this one.  I felt as though I was having a nightmare... you know the kind where your dream takes to from one setting to another, speedy fast and you're really not sure what's happen but you know it's not good?  But I get it...there is a purpose for this story... many themes running through... friendship, fear, facing fear, standing up for what you believe, not doubting yourself, finding love again... you'll have to figure out which is speaking to you.

Lowrider's in Space

Ok, an interesting graphic novel to commemorate the first Lowriders... this one has fictional characters seeking to open up their own garage by getting an old Chevy in shape to win a car competition.  Along the way they really encourage each other as they travel through space getting all the parts they need for their Lowrider.

Pax

A boy and his fox... inseparable.  A journey about what happens when they do get separated and their struggle to find each other again.  Touching, inspiring, heartbreaking.

Echo

A complex, interwoven tale... 4 stories all tied together with music and one harmonica.  Each story is desperate... escaping Nazis, orphans in horrible home, dealing with prejudices and imprisonment. All leave you wanting more... until finally the conclusion... beautiful and satisfying.

Rules of the House

Two siblings... opposites... one likes to follow rules and the other doesn't.  They figure out a good balance.

What do you do with a problem?

Problemtunity!  Face problems...they become opportunities.

Mind Your Monsters

Monsters take over a town, the towns people give up, but then they discover the power of "please".

Poor Little Guy

Size matters...or does it?  Cute, almost wordless book about a little guy that shouldn't be pitied.

A Fairy Friend

A little girl with a great imagination and determination to have a fairy friend.

Surf's Up

Not what you'd expect from the title... not a beach story... a book trailer instead.  One reader getting another reader interested... by accident.  

Fish in a Tree

Struggles in school. Friendship and bullying.  This middle grade chapter book really hits home as a teacher myself, seeing students that struggle in all kinds of ways.  How can we look at the individual instead of the whole?  Find what's good in each other.

Big Bad Bubble

Monsters, scared?  Silly story about a group of monsters that are afraid of a simple bubble.  What do they do to overcome their fear?  

The Fog Diver

This futuristic adventure reminds me of books like Atherton, The Lost Planet and Sky Jumpers.  It's fast paced, full of twists and turns and suspense.  This Bluebonnet nominee is sure to be a hit.

Stella by Starlight

Historical fiction set in the 1930s told from a little girl's point of view of what happened in her town during the times of the KKK.  Sharon M. Draper writes this historical fiction based on stories told from her own family.  Remarking and thought provoking... why did/do these types of things happen?

Old MacDonald had a Truck

This will be a fun read-aloud with my youngest readers... we'll sing and guess what they are creating with all those different types of construction vehicles.

Finding Winnie

The Caldecott winner for 2016... the true story behind Winnie-the-Pooh.  An endearing story about how a soldier "rescued" a bear, raised him then eventually how a young boy named Christopher meet him.

Crybaby

A cute bedtime story for families.  It's vibrant illustrations and repetitive texts are sure to engage the little listeners.

Firefly Hollow

A lovely friendship story, where one accepts each other's differences and rises to a challenge. Dreams may be big, but friends encourage one to reach them.

Slacker

Slacker by Gordon Korman is a great realistic fiction story to get caught up in the hope that this kid can see what's important and change.  Korman does not disappoint!

The Inn Between

This book is definitely not what it seems... it seems like a ghost story, it seems like an abduction story.  Creepy.

Sebastian and the Balloon

Fun little adventure of a boy that makes a hot air balloon, travels and picks up new friends along the way.

Night Animals

Giggle, giggle, giggle.  So fun to giggle when you're learning.  Must use this one with kinder or 1st during October - bats, opossum, skunk, bears, oh my!  #bookaday

Lizard from the Park

It's fun to imagine!  What WOULD happen if you found a dinosaur egg and it hatched?  Hmmm..

Nerdy Birdy

Acceptance.  Friendship.  Inclusion vs exclusion.  Being yourself.  Love!  Can't wait to share this one with my students.  #bookaday

Smells Like Dog

Smells Like Dog by Suzanne Selfors is the beginning of a treasure hunting, adventurous series.  In the first installment of treasure hunting, you find the main character, a tween named Homer, in search of a treasure map and answers to his Uncle's murder.  The movie National Treasure would be a good comparison... clues, treasure maps, disaster, enemies, secrets and more.

Space Case

Space Case by Stuart Gibbs is a fast pace, futuristic (set in 2040), murder mystery that students will love.  It's easy to imagine that this science fiction story could really happen in the not-to-far future.  This is a series that needs to be read in order so events will not be spoiled; as said by Stuart Gibbs at TLA 2016.

What this blog is about...

I've created this blog to help me keep track of the children's books I'm reading.  My goal is to read at least 1 #bookaday!  I plan to tag/label the entries to help me give recommendations to students.