Amber Brown is Not a Crayon

By: Paula Danziger

Published by: Penguin Group

Pages: 80



This book is about a misfit girl named Amber Brown. Her best friend Justin is also a misfit, and together they have a lot of fun. They are never apart. But one day they are walking home from school, and when they get to Justin's house they see a for sale sign. Amber tries to stop anyone from buying the house, but despite her efforts the house gets sold and Justin's family plans on moving to to Alabama. Justin doesn't seem too sad though, he even throws out the gum collection that he and Amber have been working on. This puts Amber over the edge, and she disowns Justin as her best friend. And begins to search for a new one. But no one can quite take Justin's place. The day came when Justin was saying goodbye to the class, and he and Amber make up, and become friends again. Justin gives the gum collection( that he dug out of the garbage) to Amber as a going away present. Even though they are both dad, they still plan on talking on the phone, well when their parents allow it.


Ages: 7-11


Possible conflicts: I don't think there are any possible conflicts found in this book.


My reaction: I loved Amber Brown growing up, and I still love it reading it again. They are such fun stories, with good lessons behind them. I give this book 4 stars ****

Heckedy Peg

By: Audrey Wood

Illustrated by: Don Wood

Published by: Harcourt, INC

Pages: 30

This book is a fun story about a mom who leaves her children to go to the market, before she leaves she asks her 7 children what they want her to bring back for them. They all say a different item, and with a word of advice not to talk to strangers she if off. While the children were playing alone, a knock comes at the door. It is an old lady who claims she is missin a legs and light for her pipe. The children let her in and she turns out to be a wicked witch and turns them into food, and takes them to her house for a feast. When the mother returns she sees her children are missing and some one tells her he saw an old lady take them. She searches for them and finds them, when she gets to the wicked witch's house the witch won't let her in because her feet are dirty. So the mom quickly gets on her knees, and claims she has cut her feet off. The witch les her and in and says that she must name all of her children (who were food items now) to get them back. Using her wits, and based on what they wanted at the store, she names all of her children correctly and she chased the witch out of town.

Ages: 4-8

Possible conflicts: The witch could scare some children, because she scared me. :)

My reaction: This was a fun book, I loved the pictures. But I must admit, it scared me a little bit! :) I give the book 4 stars ****

The Watsons Go To Birmingham 1963

By: Christopher Paul Curtis

Published by: Yearling

Pages: 210


This book is a hilarious book about a African-American family that lives in Flint, Michigan. The oldest boy, Bryon is misbehaving and not following his parents rules. So Momma and Dad decided to take a road trip to Alabama to leave Byron with his grandmother for a few months. This is sad for both Joetta, and Kenny( his siblings) Despite the begging and pleading, momma and dad still insist on taking Byron to Alabama. They make the long trip to Alabama and when they are there, Kenny almost drowns in a swimming hole, but Byron saves his life. And then there is a bombing(whick is based on true events) at the church house where Joetta( the little sister) was attending Sunday school. When Kenny heard about the bombing, he went and searched for Joetta at the church, he saw lots of dead bodies of little girls lying around, and he wsas sure Joetta was dead. Joetta was fine however, but momma and dad decided that it wasn't right to leave Byron there anymore, and he promised to shape up if they took him back home to flint with them. The family learns a lot about racism while visiting grandma, and for the kids, it changed their lives for the better.


Age Level: Ages 9-12


Possible conflicts: There is a lot of racism in this book, and also a lot of foul laungage, I don't think I would be comfortable in having my kids read this book until they were in the 6th grade, which is when I first read it.


My reaction: I love this book, the cover is decieving because this book is so funny, and whitty. I loved every minute of reading it. Plus I enjoy the history in it also. I give it 5 stars *****

Beezus and Ramona

By: Beverly Cleary

Illustrated: Louis Darling

Pages: 159



Published by: William Morrow & Company



This book is a fun story about two sisters who fight all of the time. Ramona is only five years old, and she drives Beezus nuts most of the time. ramona is your regular child terror. She wants the same book read over and over agin, and instists on wearing her bunny ears in public. Beezus being the older and quieter of the two, is embarrassed by Ramonas acts. Like the time she shows up unannounced at Beezus's art class, and makes a huge mess out of the paints, and leaves Beezus to clean up. Or the time she throws a birthday party for herself without telling any of her family, and Beezus has to help entertain 15 little children. At the end of the story Ramona ruins 2 of Beezus's birthday cakes, and keeps interuppting Beezus at her own birthday dinner. This frustrates Beezus and she explains to her family that sometimes she just doesn't love Ramona, and she feels guilty for it. Her mom and aunt explain that it is normal to fight with your sister, and you cannot love them all of the time. This makes Beezus feel better, and she is happy to have Ramona join her for the rest of her birthday.



Reading Level: Ages 9-12

Possible conflicts: I think the theme could be a possible conflict. It teaches kids that it is okay not to LOVE your family all of the time, when really I think they should have taught that it is okay not to get along with your family at all times.

My reaction: This book wasn't as good as I remembered it being. I was a bit disappointed. I give it 3 stars ***

Sideways Stories from Wayside School

By: Louis Sachar

Illustrated by: Adam McCauley


128 pages


HaperCollins Publisher Inc.


This book is personally one of my favorites. It is a collection of silly, unusual stories about kids who are on the 30th floor of the wacky school. When the school was built, the builders built it 30 stories high, and only one class room on each floor, instead of 1 story high with 30 classrooms. And there is no 13th floor in this book. The stories are about the kids in Mrs. Jewel's class on the 30th floor. They are so silly and fun!


Ages: 9-12


What problems could this book possibly cause? This book does use some foul laungage and has some violent acts. This cause potenitally cause a problem.

My reaction: These books are great. I love Louis Sachar, he has such a greta sense of humor. I give it 4 stars.

Click, Clack, Moo; Cows That Type

By Doreen Cronin

Pictures by Betsy Lewin

Published by: Simon & Schuster Books For Young Readers

This picture book is a silly story of cows that get a type writer and leave a note for the farmer telling him they want electric blankets and when the farmer refuses, they go on strike. Finally the farmer gives in and sends the neutral duck to give the blankets to the cows in exchange for the typewriter. The cows were happy to get the blankets, but the duck stole the typewriter. And at the end of the book the duck types a letter to the farmer asking for a diving board for the pond. Super cute, fun book!

Ages 3-7

I don't think there is any possible conficts or problems that arise with this fun book.

I give this book 4 stars!

Holes

Holes by Louis Sachar

Pages: 233

Reading Level: ages 9-12 years old

Fantasy

This book is about a young boy named who gets sent to Camp Greenlake for "stealing" a professional baseball players shoes. but he really didn't steal the shoes, he just happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time. The shoes had fallen on his head when he was under an overpass. He blames it on his pig stealing grandfather. Who had a curse placed upon his family forever for breaking a promise to carry a gypsy women up a mountain and allow her to drink from a stream. He went to the camp anyway. He went hoping he would make new friends, and get to swim in the lake. When he got there he realized there was no lake, and he doubted he would make new friends. At Camp Greenlake, the boys are required to dig a 5 ft hole (wide and deep) each day. The camp tells the boys they are digging to build character, but in reality, the Warden of the camp is looking for buried treasure. It is deadly hot out there, and so the boys have to get up each day at 4 am to start the holes. All the boys in Stanleys group are loud and rude, but there is one boy named Zero who only talks to Stanley. One day Zero tells Stanley that he doesn't know how to read, and Stanley agrees to teach Zero, but Zero has to dig part of Stanley's hole each day. When the Warden of the camp finds out about this agreement, she yells at the boys. At this point in the book, Zero has taken enough crap from everyone, and he starts running as fast as he can away from camp. The Warden expects him to become buzzard food because the camp has the only food and water around for hundreds of miles. So she tells one of the counselors to delete Zero's files and pretend he was never there. A few days later, Stanley runs away too, in hopes of finding Zero. He eventually finds Zero under a boat drinking cans of old peaches. He called them "sploosh." Stanley once remembered a story about how his grandfather found water on something called "god's thumb" and survived in the desert. Stanley looked up to see a mountain shaped like a thumb. He and Zero set out to climb the mountain to find water. But on the way up Zero got sick, and Stanley had to carry him up the mountain. They found water and onions on top of the mountain, and survived for a week off of them. Suddenly something clicked with Stanley and he wanted to go back to camp to dig one last hole, in hopes of finding the treasure that kissing Kate Barlow stole from his grandfather 100 years before. He and Zero return to camp at night, and sure enough they find the treasure, but as soon as they do, the Warden shines a light on them saying, "You boys sure saved me a lot of work." Before she could take the treasure, lizards appeared all over in the hole where the boys stood, and these lizards cause a slow painful death with just one bite. The lizards didn't bite the boys because they don't like onion blood. Before the Warden could claim the treasure Stanley's lawyer shows up to take him home, because he has been proven innocent. And he gets to take the treasure(Because it has his grandfather's name on it, which is also stanley yelnats.) and Zero( because his files couldn't be found). The boys returned home as millionaires (well almost) and when they got home Stanley's dad the inventor had invented a cure for foot odor, and everyone said it smelled like peaches, so they named it sploosh. We find out in the end of the book that Zero was a decedent of the gypsy who had placed a curse on Stanley's family, and because Stanley carried Zero up the mountain, the curse was broken. This book has 3 stories going on at once, and is quite hard to explain, so I suggest you go out and get your copy today! ENJOY!



I would recommend this book to anyone! It is fit for all ages, probably no one under 10 though :)



What problems/conflicts could this book possibly cause? There are some cold characters in this book, and Stanley is a misfit. There is also some violence between characters. Like the shooting of a black man.

I give it 5 stars! It is one of my favorite books!