Ok, I agree that to narrow the book choices to 5 is almost impossible! Books
are pratcially my business--well, at least teaching children to read them
is! So, keep in mind that my typical audience consists of 9, 10, and 11 year
olds when you read my reviews, however I believe that all of the books are
great reads even, if not especially, for adults! Some are recognized as
Caldacott honors (best of children's illustrations for a year) and others
are Newberry honors (best of children's writing for a year).
1. Holes by Louis Sachar (Newberry book): Great story with lots of twists
and turns! The setting is at a juvenile detention facility at what used to
be "the largest lake in Texas" and is now a dry, flat, sunburned wasteland
(much like El Mirage), pocked with countless identical holes dug by boys
improving their character.
2. Endangered Minds by Jane M. Healy: A fascinating assessment which argues
that children in today's fast-paced electronic world use their brains
differently than did children in past generations: a growing lack of
attention span.
3. Hatchet by Gary Paulsen (Newberry book): Fun adventure story about a
thirteen-year-old boy who is the only survivor when a single-engine plane
crashes in the Canadian wilderness.
4. The Stinky Cheese Man and Other Fairly Stupid Tales (Caldacott book) and
The True Story of the Three Little Pigs both books by John Scieszka: In
these irreverent variations on well-known themes, the ugly duckling grows up
to be an ugly duck, and the princess who kisses the frog wins only a
mouthful of amphibian slime.
5. Amelia and Eleanor Go for a Ride: Based on a True Story by Pam Munoz
Ryan. Wonderful recounting of Amelia Earhart and Eleanor Roosevelt skipping
out on a White House dinner to to fly an airplane on a loop from Washington
D.C. to Baltimore; the illustrations are fabulous in art deco style black
and white.
May you enjoy!
:- ) Katie Young Cortez
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