PLEASE WRITE IN THIS BOOK by Mary Amato

Please Write in This Book by Mary Amato (ages 7 – 10)   tells the harrowing tale of what happens when a teacher leaves a blank composition book in the Writer’s Corner for her students to find with the instructions “Please Write in this Book.”

Third grade teacher has Ms. Wurtz decided to encourage creative dialogue by leaving a blank notebook in the hopes that students will “talk to each other.”  The only rules are to “have fun” and “sign your name.”  She promises not to read the entries until the end of the month.  (and she seemingly keeps this promise despite the uproar that ensues)

Every Kids’ Dream — The Homework Machine

Sometimes a book sneaks up on you.

“The Homework Machine” by Dan Gutman (ages 8 -12) crept up on me when I was least expecting it.  I thought I was reading a jaunty, comic fantasy about every kids’ secret wish to own a machine that does their homework for them.  A light farce and nothing more.  Because of its short quick interview style, I figured it might be particularly good for 4th/5th grade boys who don’t like to read much.  (Which, as it turns out, it is)

Shel Silverstein's Homework Machine

But lo and behold, this small book turns out to have a great big heart and leaves you with lots to chew on.

For a quick summary, let’s jump to the book jacket, shall we!  “Meet the D Squad, a foursome of fifth graders at the Grand Canyon School made up of a geek, a class clown, a teacher’s pet, and a slacker. They are bound together by one very big secret: the homework machine. Because the machine, code-named Belch, is doing their homework for them, they start spending a lot of time together, attracting a lot of attention. And attention is exactly what you don’t want when you are keeping a secret.

Before long, things start to get out of control, and Belch becomes much more powerful than they ever imagined. Now the kids are in a race against their own creation, and the loser could end up in jail…or worse!”

Mr. Gutman has a reputation for being a writer that 4th – 6th grade boys, in particular, enjoy.  If you’ve got one of those living in your house and are looking for something to get him reading, “The Homework Machine” would be a good place to start.

A Pirate’s Guide to First Grade

Here’s the WSJ’s childrens book review from today. Thought it sounded cute!

Young children who love pirates—and parents who might relish reading aloud with swashbuckling gusto—are going to find “A Pirate’s Guide to First Grade” just their cup of grog.

The rollicking tale follows a boy as he embarks on his first day of school in the company of a ghostly crew of rowdy, swaggering pirates who are visible, of course, only to him. The boy himself sounds as if he has spent more time sailing under the Jolly Roger than chewing on Jolly Ranchers. “Arrr!” he says by way of introduction. “What a slobberin’ moist mornin’!” Licked awake by his “scurvy dog,” the boy leaps out of bed and gets himself shipshape. “Me mother was soggy with fare-thee-wells, fussing over this, that, and the other thing,” he tells us. “Fair winds!” he cries to her and sets off, his lunchbox carried by a wraithlike parrot.

After cheerfully boarding a big yellow school bus, the boy and his roistering comrades disembark at elementary school, where they meet the first-grade teacher, “a fine old salt” named Silver. School turns out to be jolly enough, but even pirates are apt to wilt under the workload: “I’ll make no bones about it,” the boy confides at one point, “Cap’n Silver worked us like black dogs on a hot day. We counted and spelled ’til we nearly dropped, brain-addled and weary.”

Greg Ruth’s retro illustrations for James Preller’s story adhere in a satisfying way to piratical convention—his buccaneers have flowing beards, eye patches and gnarly expressions—but he adds witty modern-day touches, too, like the vaporous juice box in one man’s hand. Children may quibble with a mildly didactic ending that shows the narrator finding “treasure” at the library, but that hardly sinks an otherwise lively read.  —Meghan Cox Gurdon

Take Cover! Bad Kitty Gets A Bath.

Hey, did you know that a cat’s tongue is covered with hundreds of little fishhook-shaped barbs called “papillae” that help them clean their fur?

Me neither!  At least not until I read Nick Bruel’s hysterical “Bad Kitty Gets a Bath.”  (ages 8 -11)

“This follow-up to Bad Kitty (2005) pairs Bruel’s witty asides and spastic, tongue-in-cheek commentaries with laugh-outloud, high-energy cartoon illustrations. With hyperbolic humor, Bruel describes the dangerous process of cat bathing, from collecting the necessary tools (including cat shampoo and a “suit of armor” for humans), to finding and coaxing Kitty into the water, to dealing with your now-clean-though-very-unhappy animal. (One illustration suggests checking your sneakers for “something awful inside.”)

Following all of the scratching and hissing and spitting, a brief epilogue depicts bathing Puppy, a ridiculously simple process that cleverly highlights the elaborateness of Kitty’s ritual. Packed into the chaos are fun facts, such as explanations for why cats hate water and the hows and whys of hairballs; a “glossary of common cat sounds”; a few strategically placed editor’s notes; and a not-so-serious glossary.

Whether they prefer cats or dogs, young and reluctant readers will get plenty of laughs from this comic and informative chapter book.”  (booklist)

Super fun!  Great for reluctant readers too.

The Crate of Danger! It’s not easy being a 7 year old mad scientist.

Franny K. Stein is not your average girl — she’s a mad scientist and she is fabulous!   She prefers poison ivy to daisies and piranha to goldfish, and when Franny jumps rope, she uses her pet snake.

In Franny K. Stein’s Crate of Danger (boxed set) by Jim Benton (ages 7 -9) we learn that although being a mad scientist is exciting, it does have its drawbacks. From fending off giant monstrous fiends to getting a lab assistant to battling her own teenage self, Franny has her hands full!  Your book babies can join her in her first four wacky, weird, creepy adventures.

The publisher lists this series at a reading level of 9 -12, but I think it skews younger, more like 7 -9.

Books in this set include:

Lunch Walks Among Us

Attack of the 50-Ft. Cupid

The Invisible Fran

The Fran That Time Forgot

Hey wait, there’s more!  You can also get your very own Franny K. Stein “action figure flashlight!”  Go Franny!

Never Glue Your Friends to Chairs and more excellent advice from Roscoe Riley

Roscoe Riley Rules #1:  Never Glue Your Friends to Chairs by Katherine Applegate (ages 4 – 8 ) is the first title in this new series for independent readers introducing good-hearted, mishap-prone first-grader Roscoe.  In short chapters filled with simple, snappy sentences, Roscoe tells his own story.

He’s excited about his class’ bee-song performance for the school open house. But the students’ bobbing antennas keep slipping, and kids won’t stay seated. Aiming to help, he tries Super-Mega-Gonzo Glue, a too-successful solution that attaches antennas to chairs and brings chaos, remorse, and a new appreciation for the awesome power of glue.

Roscoe is an appealing, lively kid whose story is both entertaining and thought-provoking (adults may want to review with kids the meaning and repercussions of permanent glue), and Biggs’ expressive pencil drawings add to the humor. A list of Way Cool Things that Somebody Should Invent closes the book.

The second title in the series, Roscoe Riley Rules #2: Never Swipe a Bully’s Bear, is also filled with comic mishaps.  There’s obvious appeal for boys, but girls will like Roscoe as well.  Grades K-3. (Booklist)

Lunch Lady — Serving Justice! And Serving Lunch!

This tongue-in-cheek superheroine graphic novel series by Jarrett J. Krosoczka (ages 7 – 9) will hit the spot for chapter-book readers.  Inspired by his own very lunch lady from childhood, Krosoczka has created a zany series that makes you sort of wish you were a crime fighting lunch lady.

In Lunch Lady and the Cyborg Substitute we find Lunch Lady and Betty, her assistant, in both the cafeteria and her role of wrong-righting super-sleuth.  They investigate the strange case of an absent teacher, his creepy substitute, and a plan to grab the “Teacher of the Year” Award by truly foul means.

Three kids join in the action as Lunch Lady, equipped with a variety of high-tech kitchen gadgets like a spatu-copter and a lunch-tray laptop, tracks a cleverly disguised robot to his maker’s lab, where a whole army of cyborgs require kicking, stomping, and the wielding of fish-stick nunchucks.

Yellow-highlighted pen-and-ink cartoons are as energetic and smile-provoking as Lunch Lady’s epithets of “Cauliflower!” and Betty’s ultimate weapon — the hairnet.

There’s a nice twist in the surprise ending, and the kids’ ability to stand up to the school bully shows off their newfound confidence in a credible manner. Little details invite and reward repeat readings.

So far there are five in the series, but a Lunch Lady’s work is never done, so my guess is we should expect more to come.  Two of my favs are —

In Lunch Lady and the League of Librarians, Lunch Lady uncovers what darkness lurks in the hearts of the school librarians.

In Lunch Lady and the Summer Camp Shakedown, a swamp monster threatens to ruin summer camp.

Mind your own beeswax! Take a secret peek into “Amelia’s Notebook”

Got a sweet young reader who isn’t crazy about actually reading?  All the Junie B’s and Judy M’s of the world hold no appeal for her? “Too many words!”  Then check out this fun, colorful series.  Your kidlets will be reading without even knowing it’s good for them.

Amelia’s Notebook by Marissa Moss (ages 7-10, strong girl appeal) is designed as an upbeat, first-person story which resembles a real diary.   The cover bears the familiar black-and-white abstract design of a .99 cent composition book, decorated with color cartoons by Amelia, the book’s nine-year-old “author.”

Inside, on lined pages, Amelia writes about her recent move to a new town, doodles pictures of people she meets and saves such mementos as postage stamps and a birthday candle.

She misses her best friend, Nadia, but her moments of sadness are balanced by optimism-she distracts herself by drawing and by writing short stories. In appropriately conversational terms, Amelia complains that her big sister invades her privacy (“So Cleo if you are reading this right now-BUG OFF and STAY OUT”); gripes about cafeteria food (“Henna says they use dog food); and jokes in classic elementary-school gross-out fashion.

Readers will understand Amelia’s wish to put her “top-secret” thoughts on paper, and they’ll notice that even though she’s uneasy about attending a different school, she’s starting over successfully. (Reed Business Information, Inc)

Keep in mind that there are some 15 books in the series.  Also, a mildde-school aged Amelia has another series of journals about life after elementary school.

If they liked the movie, get them the book too! “Diary of a Wimpy Kid” now on DVD and in paperback.

Dairy of a Wimpy Kid by Jeff Kinney (ages 9 -12)  is one of those books that even kids who don’t like to read seem to like this book.  Written like a diary, complete with hilarious doodles, it’s a fast-paced read that rings true with anyone who’s ever felt a little wimpy.  And, let’s be honest, isn’t that really all of us?

This series may unofficially be classified as “for boys only,” I happen to know a third grade girl who read the first one, then systematically plowed her way through the other three, and currently has her name on the Amazon pre-order list for “Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Ugly Truth” which will be released this fall.

According to the School Library Journal, “Kinney does a masterful job of making the mundane life of boys on the brink of adolescence hilarious. Greg is a conflicted soul: he wants to do the right thing, but the constant quest for status and girls seems to undermine his every effort.”  We all love an underdog, and that’s exactly what Greg is.

The DVD was released yesterday, so if you’re thinking about buying it for your kids, then think about getting the book too.  Who knows, if they like the first book, perhaps you can persuade them to read the rest!

Poetry in “Locomotion”. Jacqueline Woodson’s beautiful little book.

Jacqueline Woodson’s “Locomotion” (ages 9 – 12) tells the story of Lonnie Collins Motion through 60 poems written by 11 year old Lonnie.

At the age of seven, his life changed when his parents were killed in a fire leaving both he and his little sister Lili orphaned. Now four years later in 5th grade, his teacher, Ms. Marcus, is showing him ways to put his jumbled feelings on paper. And suddenly, Lonnie has a whole new way to tell the world about his life, his friends, his little sister and even his foster mom, Miss Edna, who stared out crabby but isn’t so bad after all.

“Despite the spare text, Lonnie’s foster mother and the other minor characters are three-dimensional, making the boy’s world a convincingly real one. His reflections touch on poverty and on being African American when whites seem to have the material advantages, and return repeatedly to the pain of living apart from his younger sister. Readers, though, will recognize Lonnie as a survivor.” (School Library Journal)

Lili’s new mama didn’t want no boys
Just a sweet little girl. Nobody told me that
I just know it.
Not a lot of people want boys
Not foster boys that ain’t babies...

This little tome is in many ways an easy read but it’s packed with an amazing amount of profound wisdom and subtle, often heart breaking, beauty.  “Locomotion” is an excellent choice for boys and girls alike from ages 9 – 12.

“How to Eat Fried Worms” plus recipes!

Got a boy in grades 3 -6 who isn’t crazy about reading? Dare him not to love this book.

How to Eat Fried Worms by Thomas Rockwell is a ghastly gastronomical treat that will dazzle young reader particularly boys and tomboys.  But this little novel has been happily repulsing kids in the best possible way since its original publication in 1973.

It seems poor Billy must eat 15 worms in 15 days–but the reward will be worth it: $50 for a shiny new minibike.  Luckily, Billy’s friends cook up these fat juicy grubs in a variety of appetizing ways–drenched in ketchup and mustard, fried in butter and cornmeal, and the pièce de résistance, a Whizband Worm Delight (an ice-cream worm cake).  It’s choke full of memorable lines and refrains like:

“Trout, Salmon, flounder, perch,
I’ll ride my minibike into church.
Dace, tuna, haddock, trout,
Wait’ll you hear the minister shout.”

My Yearling edition comes complete with recipes for such things as Worm Pizza and Crunchy Carrot Worm Salad.  How to Eat Fried Worms is a gem that still holds up after almost 40 years.

Nancy Drew and the Clue Crew. A new twist on an old favorite.

Admit it.  You wanted to be Nancy Drew when you were a kid.

You dreamed of living in River Heights and tooling around in that blue convertible with Ned at your side as you solved dangerous mysteries.

I sat down not long ago and reread “The Secret of the Old Clock” which I hesitate to say suddenly felt very dated to me. This, I confess, was something of a crushing blow seeing as years ago, I had carefully boxed up my rather vast collection of “Nancy Drew” books in the hopes that I would one day have a daughter to present them to.

Now that I have a child nearing “Nancy Drew” age, I was devastated when I realized that she likely will not fall in love with Nancy and her pals the way I did.

Over the years, the Nancy Drew franchise ghost written by Carolyn Keene has had several incarnations, but one of the newest the “Nancy Drew and the Clue Crew” is arguable the cutest.

The Crew Clue series, launched in 2006, was written for girls 8 – 12.  In these books, a modern-day Nancy and her pals Bess and George are 8-year-old detectives solving slightly more domestic crimes like stolen toys and a wedding cake with a slice mysteriously missing!

More accessible than the original series and easier to read, these are great books for your little detective!