A good second grade year, even though Billy wasn‘t so sure about it.

Regret...weighs you down.

I can appreciate this description. P. 181

“Sometimes bad people mess things up for people doing good.”

This echoes my classroom experience this year - an annoying cricket hiding where we can‘t find it!

Sophia learns a lot about herself, friendship, and grief as she searches for answers. Why does she remember her mother being at her ninth birthday even though she knows her mom died when she was six. She needs answers. She needs her mom.

...and here I cry again.

“They tried so hard, the two of them, to be okay.”
Sophia is making me so sad.

Presents science concepts in practical, easy-to-understand terms with lots of examples. Each topic includes a project presented with step by step directions followed by ideas to change the project to work somewhat differently. Good example of the engineering design process without calling it that.

True friendship. Learning where you belong. No pretending. And rocks and minerals. Lots of rocks and minerals.

You don‘t pretend to be anything but what you are, so I trust you more than I do other people. This world is full of pretenders. To find a friend who is genuine and trustworthy is rarer than rubies.

#NewsToMe

#scienceiscool

What a good lesson for us all.

What a timely book. Anaïs, her mom, and little brother are seeking asylum in America while her dad and older brother try to find safety in the Congo. Anaïs starts school and discovers that learning English is much more challenging than at her old school. She is puzzled regularly by the crazy things Americans think are normal. Through letters to her Oma, you see her growth and learning and the "good things" she discovers about America.

New favorite! So clever! The author pairs a classic poem with a parody of that poem. For example, "Stopping By Woods in a Snowy Evening" is paired with "Stopping By Fridge on a Hungry Evening."

A lovely coming of age book that adds in some end of life issues and safety and family and friends.

Poems based on Mother Goose, but with a twist! Variety of poetry types and very humorous. End notes include the original poems plus information about possible historical origins for each.

I adore everything about this book. The illustrations are the perfect complement to the story about George Gershwin's Rhapsody in Blue. The mix of actual music terms (staccato) with onomatopoeia (rattle-ty bang) make for an engaging story. It helps the reader hear the music in the noise, just like George.

I'm pretty sure I could never sell the boys on this particular book, but it is pretty cute.

Charlie and his friends are back and excited to be on the same soccer team. Things don't go as smoothly as they imagined, however, and they are faced with the challenges of young and inexperienced teammates, selling candy to raise money for the team, and difficult siblings.

This made me laugh!

Nice, straightforward nonfiction about Buddy, the first guide dog in America. It also includes some history about guide dogs and the challenges people with disabilities have faced with guide dogs.

Nice, straightforward nonfiction about Buddy, the first guide dog in America. It also includes some history about guide dogs and the challenges people with disabilities have faced with guide dogs.

Nice, straightforward nonfiction about Buddy, the first guide dog in America. It also includes some history about guide dogs and the challenges people with disabilities have faced with guide dogs.

Interesting nonfiction, very accessible for middle grade readers. A nice balance of text and illustrations, good vocabulary and text features - would be good for instruction as well as for self selected reading.

A novel in verse about a small cat named Patches, a giant, smelly dog named Gus and a surprising friendship helped along by a mouseling and a red squirrel. Quite philosophical in places. Really very enjoyable.

A fun, quirky chapter book about friendship, jealousy, teamwork and reading. Great choice for a first chapter book!

A picture book biography that follows Louis Armstrong from his roots in the neighborhood nicknamed The Battlefield through his childhood and into his music career.

A lovely book told in verse about grief, family, and stories.

So perfect for an election year.

How can you go wrong with a couple of cowpokes named Slingshot and Burp? Fun book about double cousins who are battling their sisters for control of the bunkhouse (aka playhouse) while searching for adventure and loot in the desert.

Oh, my. What a story. Never forget.

I adore this poetry! Wonderful imagery, powerful examples of word choice, page after page of fantastic figurative language, all centered around items you would buy at a farmer's market.

What a fantastic metaphor! This book will be great for examples of figurative language!

It was 1916 and Ruth Law was determined to fly from Chicago to New York, further than anyone had flown without stopping. And when Ruth Law made up her mind, there was no use trying to stop her! Determination, lots of preparation, and daring make Ruth Law a great role model!

Joshua is growing up in South Africa in the 1970s. He learns of and is brought into the struggle for equality.

"It is the most important thing in the world. If you can read, you can teach yourself anything. Amazing!"

A philosophical picture book that encourages the reader to be open to magic, adventure, curiosity, and the unknown. Whimsical illustrations add to the experience of this book. It makes me think of something you would read to someone facing a life change - a move or graduation.

Lovely picture book biography about photographer Dorothea Lange and her unique perspective on the world.

Cute book about a little alien who is scared to start at a new school. Nice little book, but too young for my 4th and 5th graders, I think.

This book deals with slow, big, chewy thinking about all sorts of topics including animals, plants, geology, arts, and outer space. It finishes up with an extensive glossary and notes.