Tag: transitional chapter book

REVIEW: Frankie Sparks and the Class Pet by Megan Frazer Blakemore

REVIEW: Frankie Sparks and the Class Pet by Megan Frazer Blakemore

Posted on by Jaymie

Summary

Frankie’s 3rd grade class is getting a class pet. They are going to set some parameters for the pet, and then students will research their options, and make a presentation to the class. Then the class will vote on what pet they should choose.

Frankie’s aunt is a rodentologist, and Frankie loves to visit the animals in her aunt’s lab. So she decides the class should get a rat.

Frankie is so convinced her idea is the right one, though, she wants to skip the classroom process and just present her research right away. She also assumes her best friend, Maya, will vote with her for a class rat. But when Maya confesses that she doesn’t like the idea of a rat and she wants to research betta fish instead, it causes a fracture in their friendship.

Review

After an afternoon of reading a variety of only-okay early chapter books, I discovered Frankie. What an absolute treat!

Frankie is a complex character. She’s quite bright, although she does struggle some with reading and writing at times. Her enthusiasm for rodents is fun; this is a great age for kids to go all in on a topic or passion. She is an inventor with her own space and supplies for her creations. She can be moody and pouting when she doesn’t get her way. And her parents challenge those moods in really healthy ways. I loved all of this!

The friendship fracture is mild compared to what you might find in a middle grade novel, which is perfect for lower elementary readers. Frankie’s feelings are hurt because Maya doesn’t do what Frankie wants. Frankie tries to manipulate Maya and gets called out for it. Maya’s response is withdrawal rather than confrontation or nastiness. And Frankie figures out how to apologize with actions, not just words, as she prioritizes her best friend over her own desires about the class pet.

The class pet project process in the classroom is well developed. Frankie tries to push against the structure to get her own way, but her teacher kindly holds the boundaries. Frankie is never shamed for her behavior, but she is held to a reasonable standard and coached to help her fix her own problems.

I loved everything about this! Don’t miss this one. Great for home and classroom use. Would be a great readaloud!

Rating: ♥♥♥♥½

REVIEW: Squirreled Away by Mike Nawrocki

REVIEW: Squirreled Away by Mike Nawrocki

Posted on by Jaymie

[I received an electronic review copy of this book from Netgalley and Tyndale Kids in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.]

Summary

Michael and Justin are on an adventure in the Middle East during the summer before 5th grade. Michael’s dad is there for an archaeological dig. While exploring in a cave on the day before their return home, Michael sees something weird on a high ledge. Before he can examine it closer, it’s time to head back for dinner.

Even though Michael’s dad has told the boys they should never be in caves without an expert guide, Michael can’t stop thinking about the cave. He knows he will regret it if they leave tomorrow and he never finds out what was on that ledge. Ignoring Justin’s advice and his dad’s warning, Michael goes back to the cave.

On the plus side, Michael finds what he was curious about – two petrified squirrels. On the down side, though, he gets lost, has to be rescued, and gets in trouble.

Now Michael has to figure out how to get his squirrel discovery through airport security and what he’ll do with the squirrels when he gets home.

Review

This is the first book in the Dead Sea Squirrels series by Mike Nawrocki, one of the creators of Veggie Tales.

This is a fun transitional chapter book with a Christian message about obeying your parents. The message fits nicely into the story and never feels heavy handed.

I can see why the publisher released the first two books of this series at the same time. While this book introduces Michael, his family, Justin and the squirrels, the action doesn’t really kick in with the squirrels in this book. This book really sets up what will happen in the rest of the series. A review copy of book 2, Boy Meets Squirrels, was not available. You can see the cover of book 2 here.

Michael seems like a typical protagonist for these sorts of books – curious, sincere and impulsive. You know he’s going to screw up. Things will fall apart spectacularly at some point. And you trust that he will learn a lesson in the end.

This is a fun start to the series. I’d definitely suggest getting both book 1 and 2 at the same time or your reader will be very frustrated in the end. Two more titles will release later this year.

Rating: ♥♥♥½

SATURDAY SMORGASBORD: Transitional Chapter Books

SATURDAY SMORGASBORD: Transitional Chapter Books

Posted on by Jaymie

One of the most important audiences for children’s books are the kids who are ready to branch out from picture books and early readers/beginning readers. These kids are ready for CHAPTER BOOKS! And they are SO excited when they get to that stage. I know when my teenager was little, we started with Magic Tree House, which are sort of a staple for this age group. But I got tired of reading them very quickly. So we started branching out to a few other series. Then, when I was teaching, I discovered even more. Here are some books and series to get you started if you are looking for reading material for this age group:

Old School

Some of these are the early chapter books we read when my son was little. These are still available and still a lot of fun to read.

Bad Kitty is still going strong, with new books releasing about once a year.  Dragonling has been around for awhile, but they are re-releasing them with new covers. The story is great! I wish they had redone the interior illustrations, too. Some of the Jigsaw Jones mysteries have recently been re-released. Judy Moody has gotten a makeover this year, too. The whole series has new covers, and new books are still coming. My teen didn’t read them, but I loved them. We loved the Melvin Beederman Superhero stories. Jack Stalwart books were fantastic because they were fairy simple, but the vocabulary was strong (great for strong readers who aren’t ready for the more intricate plots of middle grade), and the spy and travel aspects were fun. Stink Moody was probably our favorite back in those days. Book 2 is my favorite of the series, and that series continues to grow.

Branches

These are my go-to books for this age group. There are MANY series, but these are some of my favorites.

Boris, Haggis and Tank, and Kung Pow Chicken seem to be finished as series. I believe they have 2-4 books each. Dragon Masters, Owl Diaries and Hilde Cracks the Case are series that continue to put out new books. You will find these on a lot of my Book News posts.

Favorites

Some of my other favorite recommendations for these readers

I recently read my first Bad Guys story and I loved it! It’s almost more of a graphic novel than a traditional chapter book. But whatever format you want to call it, it was all sorts of funny! The Chicken Squad series is a spin off of a book called The Trouble with Chickens. I love the books because they are funny which is a great selling point for this age group. The Deckawoo Drive series (Baby Lincoln) is a spin off of the Mercy Watson books. Dog Man is a graphic novel series from the author of Captain Underpants. So far I have only read the first one, but it was a lot of fun. Zoey and Sassafras books are a great combination of fantasy and science. The Dragonsitter books are told in emails. I love them. They’ve been around for awhile. Galaxy Zack is basically a new-kid-at-school series about moving and making friends, but it takes place in space. My students enjoyed this sci-fi series. King and Kayla and Magic Bone are great dog stories, which is always a crowdpleaser. I thought the Magic Bone books were  hilarious. Marvel Superhero Adventures are fun stories with familiar heroes. Princess in Black is a fantastic series about a princess who has a secret identity for fighting monsters. So fun! Ranger in Time is another dog series. I describe it to kids as Magic Tree House with a dog. I love them. Finally there’s Ricky Ricotta’s Might Robot. My teen read these as a kid, so they could go in the “Old School” category, but they’ve recently received an upgrade with all new full-color art by Dan Santat. These are NOT to be missed!

Coming Soon

These are some series that are just getting started or coming out later this year.

Beatrice Zinker, History Pals (Ben Franklin), and Strange Scout Tales all have books out now with new ones coming later this year. The rest are series starting this fall. I have several of these on my wish list, including the Time Jumpers book which is the latest from Branches.

SATURDAY SMORGASBORD: Early Readers and Transitional Chapter Books

SATURDAY SMORGASBORD: Early Readers and Transitional Chapter Books

Posted on by Jaymie

I had the pleasure of serving on an award committee for the 2017 Cybil Awards recognizing great children’s and young adult literature. My committee focused on books for the kids who are just starting to read on their own – Early Readers/Easy Readers and Early/Transitional Chapter Books.

While the committee was working, I couldn’t review or post about the things I was reading. But now that the awards are posted, I wanted to highlight some of the treasures I read for the process, as well as a few personal favorites I had read last year before I was on the committee. If you work with children in lower elementary school (Kindergarten to 3rd grade, depending on reading level and interest) or if you have some kids that age in your life, check out these books for their reading enjoyment!

Early Readers/Easy Readers

Charlie & Mouse & Grumpy – This is book two in a picture book-shaped Early Reader series. This one is a sweet story about a couple of kids and their grandfather. I was pleasantly surprised at the depth of this book with limited word count and vocabulary. I would love to see a middle-elementary teacher read this one aloud and see what the students infer from the story.

 

 

My Kite Is Stuck! And Other Stories – This was surprisingly fun! There were some laugh-out-loud moments in this book that I wasn’t expecting. Give this to readers who enjoy Piggie and Gerald or Ballet Cat.

 

 

 

There’s a Pest in the Garden! – This was another one that had me laughing aloud. For this age group, I think funny books are the key to getting kids excited about reading on their own. This is another one that would work for Piggie and Gerald fans.

 

 

 

We Need More Nuts! – This was my favorite book in this category. It’s a counting book, but it’s so much more. Another hilarious book for this age group. I discovered there is a sequel, and I have it in my online cart so I can check it out.

 

 

 

King & Kayla and the Case of the Secret Code – This was the award winner for this category. It’s a fun, clever story – told by the dog, which always amuses me – about secret codes. I enjoyed this one and would recommend checking out the entire series!

 

 

 

Early Chapter Books/Transitional Chapter Books

Heartwood Hotel: A True Story – This was a sweet animal story that I thoroughly enjoyed last year. I may yet post a full review of the first two books in this series. They were terrific.

 

 

 

Heartwood Hotel: The Greatest Gift – This is book 2 in the series, and I enjoyed this book even more than I enjoyed the first.

 

 

 

Zoey and Sassafras: Dragons and Marshmallows – I adored this story of a science-minded girl and her pet cat who discover fantasy creatures come to their home for medical care. I loved the combination of science and fantasy in one story. The illustrations are darling. I also love that this series stars an African-American girl in a story that has nothing to do with her race. When I was teaching, I would have put this entire series in the library!

 

 

Survivor Diaries: Overboard! – This reminded me a lot of the uber-popular I Survived series that appeals to middle to upper elementary students. This story is shorter, but the suspense and tension was still present. This would have been a hit with my students!

 

 

 

The Princess in Black Takes a Vacation – I am a huge Shannon Hale fan, and I was thrilled that a Princess in Black book made it into the mix for the early chapter book award. This is a fantastic series that I highly recommend. 

 

 

 

Wedgie & Gizmo – I was THRILLED when this book was chosen as the best of the year for early/transitional chapter books for the Cybils. I LOVED this funny book about an evil genius guinea pig and his nemesis (who has no clue), a Corgi. The animals tell their own stories which adds to the fun. The voice in this is outstanding! I can’t recommend this highly enough. There will be a sequel later this spring. I may post a full review of this book later this year, too.

REVIEW: The Eagle of Rome by Dan Metcalf

REVIEW: The Eagle of Rome by Dan Metcalf

Posted on by Jaymie

Summary

It’s 1928. Lottie Lipton lives at the British Museum with her Uncle Bert who is the Curator of Egyptology there. One day adventurer extraordinaire, Lady Viola, shows up at the museum, announcing she is off to find the Eagle of the Ninth Legion. She’s at the museum to check their library for clues.

Lady Viola is one of Lottie’s idols. But once the reporters are gone, Viola turns from gracious and sophisticated to rude and ruthless. While Lottie would put the missing Eagle into the museum so everyone could enjoy it, Viola wants it so she can sell it to finance her vacations. So Lottie vows to find it first.

Lottie, Uncle Bert and Reg, the museum’s caretaker, will have to solve several logic puzzles if they’re going to beat Lady Viola to the Eagle!

Review

This is a cute, simple book with puzzles embedded into the story (with solutions). Lottie is sweet and values learning and art for the masses. The fast story means we don’t get to know her very well, but she is likable from the start.

The puzzles are fun and appear to be set up so the reader doesn’t see the solution until he/she turns the page (I saw an early electronic arc, so I don’t know what the final version will look like). There are bonus puzzles in the back matter along with vocabulary and facts related to the book.

Good for early elementary elementary classrooms and readers starting to test out short chapter books.

Thanks to Netgalley and Darby Creek Publishing for providing and electronic review copy in exchange for an honest review.

Rating: ♥♥♥

REVIEW: Beatrice Zinker Upside Down Thinker by Shelley Johannes

REVIEW: Beatrice Zinker Upside Down Thinker by Shelley Johannes

Posted on by Jaymie

Summary

Beatrice Zinker is an unusual child. She prefers to live life upside down. Hanging from trees or bunk beds, tipping over to see how things look from another perspective. Beatrice is happy to be unusual, even if it makes her sister say “Oh no” and her mom say “Now what?” with some regularity.

Beatrice becomes pretty well known for her unique approach to life. Her second grade teacher even gives her an award at the end of the year for being the “Best Upside Down Thinker.” And this gives Beatrice a great idea for a secret mission for 3rd grade with her best friend, Lenny.

But on the first day of third grade, nothing goes the way Beatrice planned. Lenny doesn’t wear her ninja outfit, and she has a new friend from her neighborhood. Chloe wants to play veterinarian, and Lenny wants to do that rather than help Beatrice. What’s going to happen to the secret mission now?

Review

This is a cute transitional chapter book for kids learning to read longer-than-picture-book stories. Beatrice is a sweet character (the illustrations for this book are absolutely darling), earnest, and completely committed to seeing the world in her own unique way.

Stories like this often have main characters feeling left out, afraid of losing a friend, wondering if she should change to keep her friend. While Beatrice does feel left out and tries some things to keep connected to both Lenny and Chloe, she never questions who she is. Which is awesome! Beatrice is determined to be true to herself AND keep her friend. There’s a great lesson there.

This will make for a good early elementary series. Beatrice’s teacher has her hands full but will hopefully come to appreciate Beatrice like her second grade teacher did. The secret mission is great, and I’m eager to see how that develops in future books.

Thanks to Disney-Hyperion and Netgalley for an electronic review copy in exchange for an honest review.

Rating: ♥♥♥½