Yeay! Yeay! Yah-ye-yah-yah Yeay!!! Jack Gantos won the Newbery Medal for his brilliant story, Dead End in Norvelt.
So well deserved
If I told you that you would love a story about a boy who who gets grounded for his entire summer and has to make amends by helping a local senior citizen write obituaries while the story goes on to explore the many facets of death, you’d say, “No way! That story doesn’t sound interesting at all.”
You said the same thing when I tried to explain the story line of Holes by Louis Sachar to you, too, and that story was phenomenal when you finally read it.
So, listen to me this time. Watch the book trailer. Watch the author interview. But read this book!
If you like books about Samurais, then this book isn’t for you. However, if you do like stories full of adventure on the high seas, heroes and villains, a clash of cultures, and a dose of history, then you will love Heart of a Samurai. Manjiro was such a likable and honorable character from the first chapter that I just had to see where his desire to explore the world would take him.
In 1841, rescued by an American whaler after a terrible shipwreck leaves him and his four companions castaways on a remote island, fourteen-year-old Manjiro, who dreams of becoming a samurai, learns new laws and customs as he becomes the first Japanese person to set foot in the United States.–library catalog
If you would like to know more about the real Manjiro and how he changed America and Japan, watch the video below:
Nominated for the 2011 Massachusetts Children’s Book Award
At the start of the Revolutionary War, Isabel is sold to a cruel loyalist family, even though she has been promised freedom by her former owner. Soon faced with the choice of working for or against the British, Isabel chooses to work with anyone who can help her.
Nominated for the 2011 Massachusetts Children’s Book Award
Living in Copenhagen during World War II under Nazi occupation, David Nathan wishes his sister would stop making his parents worry by coming home so late, but when he is given a task by his father to deliver a special order from their bakery, David stumbles upon a secret that changes everything.
Ooooo . . . I just love a good murder mystery, especially one that takes place in medieval times. There’s plenty of mystery, thrills, adventure, and suspense. I’m not a big Avi fan but he does write enjoyable books–this one is no exception.
A plot to overthrow King Claudio is brewing in the Kingdom of Pergamontio, Italy. Mangus the Magician has been marked as an easy scapegoat for the traitor lurking within the king’s court. Against all odds, his faithful new servant boy, Fabrizio, sets out to solve the mystery and prove his master’s innocence before the stroke of midnight in order to save him from certain death!–library catalog
Calpurnia Virginia Tate is eleven years old in 1899 when she wonders why the yellow grasshoppers in her Texas backyard are so much bigger than the green ones. With a little help from her notoriously cantankerous grandfather, an avid naturalist, she figures out that the green grasshoppers are easier to see against the yellow grass, so they are eaten before they can get any larger. As Callie explores the natural world around her, she develops a close relationship with her grandfather, navigates the angers of living with six brothers, and comes up against just what it means to be a girl at the turn of the century. Debut author Jacqueline Kelly deftly brings Callie and her family to life, capturing a year of growing up with unique sensitivity and a wry wit.–catalog summary
Every once in a while, a historical fiction book comes along that captures my attention so much that I still think about the book long after I’ve finished reading it. This is one of them. I read Calpurnia last spring and it is still haunting me (in a good way). Calpurnia is one girl who is worth getting to know and watching her struggle to be more than what girls are allowed to be in those days makes a compelling story.
Listen to author Jacqueline Kelly read an excerpt from the book and talk about how she came up with the idea to write her very first book, The Evolution of Calpurnia Tate. (And it won a Newbery Honor–not bad for your very first book!)
All non-sheepherding dogs have been outlawed from the rocky coastal village where Maggie lives. Unwilling to give up her beloved Newfoundland, Sirius, Maggie defies the law and hides Sirius away. But when a steamer crashes into the rocks during a violent storm and starts to sink with a hundred passengers on board, Maggie faces a difficult choice. She knows Sirius can help rescue the people trapped on the ship, but bringing him out of hiding would put his own life in jeopardy. Is Maggie’s brave dog a big enough hero to save the desperate passengers — and himself?–catalog summary
This is a simple story of an amazing dog and the charming village that loves it. Beautiful setting, great characters, andtense action, this story has it all. If you don’t think that Newfoundland dogs are truly gifted animals, then watch the video below.
If you would like to read more stories about brave animals, then read Hachiko Waits by Leslea Newman and The Incredible Journey by Sheila Burnford.
Mrs. D'Elia is the Librarian in a very purple elementary school library. She believes that every child should have at least one favorite book. If you are a child and you don't have a favorite book yet, come and visit me in the library because we need to fix that.
Yeay! Yeay! Yah-ye-yah-yah Yeay!!! Jack Gantos won the Newbery Medal for his brilliant story, Dead End in Norvelt.
