Reading Abounds

 Title:  The Girl and The Bicycle  Author/Illustrator:  Mark Pett   Perma-Bound Catalogue #: 80407  Description:  A wordless picture book in which a  girl sees a bicycle she wants to buy, works hard  for a kindly neighbour to earn the money for it,  then gets a pleasant surprise. Curriculum Links:  Art: Pencil Illustrations, Lines Character Education: Kindness, Perseverance, Responsibility Math: Financial Literacy Reading: Inferring Science: Daily and Seasonal Changes Social Studies: Our Changing Roles and Responsibilities Notes: Design:  This book is slightly wider and shorter than an average picture book.  The cover and title alone made me want to pick up this book.  A little girl and her younger brother are on the cover with the girl looking at a green bicycle in a toy store window.  The pages in the book are done in taupes and greys so the pages seem soft and aged (rather than ...

Title:  After Eli Author:  Rebecca Rupp Perma-Bound Catalogue #: 5668967 Description:    After the death of his older brother, Daniel Anderson became engrossed in recording details about dead people, how they died, and whether their deaths mattered but he is eventually drawn back into interaction with the living. Rubric Rating:   Level 4 - Love It Why I Read It:   Read as an ebook on my Perma-Bound eHub account. Notes:   Daniel loves his older brother Eli, he looks up to him, admires him, goes to him for advice.  So when Eli is killed during a military mission, Dan is heartbroken and a little lost. His mother retreats into herself, and his father can’t help but criticize his academic and decisions.  Rather than go to summer school Dan gets a job on a farm and finds he likes it. He also takes a look at his life, his family and his friends. When he runs into Walter, the school geek, in the cemetery and begins to u...

Title: Blood in the Water Series: Tides of War - Volume 1 Author: C. Alexander London Perma-Bound Catalogue #: 87271 Description:   Cory McNab is a member of the Navy's Marine Mammal Program where he is partnered with a search-and-recovery dolphin named Kaj, and their new mission is to help locate a spy submersible lost in North Korean waters, but first they have to win the trust of the Navy SEALs who are assigned to deal with the problem. Rubric Rating: Level 2 - Like It Why I Read It: Chosen for a Read Aloud. Notes:    After Cory drops out of the Navy Seals he’s unsure whether or not he wants to even return to the military but after his brother is attacked by a great white shark and he is rescued by a wild dolphin Cory knows what he’s meant to do.  He joins the Navy’s Marine Mammal program and is partnered with a dolphin named Kaj. When a spy submersible goes missing in North Korean waters Cory and Kaj are called upon by the Navy Seals for a sea...

Title:  The Family Book Author:  Todd Parr Perma-Bound Catalogue #: 3891 Description:   Represents a variety of families, some big and some small, some with only one parent and some with two moms or dads, some quiet and some noisy, but all alike in some ways and special no matter what. Guided Reading Level:  H Curriculum Links:  Art: Colours Character Education: Respect Kindergarten Reading: Connecting Social Studies: Families Writing: Explanation Equity and Diversity Notes:  Design:  The cover is very bright and attractive and the inside cover looks like a photo from a family album.  It makes it seem like everyone in the book is all part of the same family.  (The human race perhaps!)  It looks like everyone is hanging out in the family tree!  The dedication is also lovely. Content and Illustrations:  The pages and illustrations in this book are boldly coloured with thick lines.  ...

Title: The Poet's Dog Author: Patricia MacLachlan Perma-Bound Catalogue #: 127678 Description:   An abandoned dog, able to speak only to poets and children, rescues a pair of young children stranded in the forest. Together, they find a way to overcome their losses. Rubric Rating: Level 4 - Love It Why I Read It: Poetry and Dogs... what more can I say.  Notes: This is one of those novels that I absolutely love.  It is written for a younger audience but there are deeper aspects to the story that are very appealing to an adult reader.   The story is encapsulated within 88 pages, and spells out the story of Teddy, the poet's dog, whose master has passed away, and Flora and Nickel, two children he finds lost in a blizzard.   The children are left in a car by their mother as she goes to look for help after getting stuck in the snow.  The children get scared and leave the vehicle and get lost in the woods where they are found by T...

Title: The Accident Season Author: Moira Fowley-Doyle Perma-Bound Catalogue#: 128557 Description:    Every October Cara and her family become mysteriously and dangerously accident-prone, but this year, the year Cara, her ex-stepbrother, and her best friend are 17, is when Cara will begin to unravel the accident season's dark origins. Rubric Rating: Level 3 - Laud It Why I Read It: Great Title and Tag Line Notes:    It is October.  It is the accident season.  Every October Alice, Cara, and their ex-stepbrother, Sam, batten down the hatches and prepare for the accident season.  Sometimes it’s not bad, just a few cuts and bruises, but sometimes it’s horrible, with broken bones or worse. Cara’s friend Bea predicts a bad one, but not just a bad one, one of the worst.  While Cara struggles to find understanding about the accident season, is it supernatural or fate, or just made up, she decides that in order to find out for sure,...

Title:  Laughing at My Nightmare Author: Shane Burcaw Perma-Bound Catalogue #: 96571 Description: A twenty-one-year old with spinal muscular atrophy describes the challenges he faces in completing everyday tasks and shares stories about growing up and living with this rare neuromuscular disease. Rubric Rating: Level 3 - Laud it. Why I Read it: Great title and cover. Lori's Notes: It was the title of this book that piqued my interest.  As someone who generally tries to look on the bright side of life the idea of laughing at a nightmare really appealed to me.  The book is based on Shane Burcaw's blog of the same name.  I actually started reading the blog before getting the book.  I quite enjoy Shane's writing style.  He is quick and witty and I had moments where I laughed out loud.  Shane was diagnosed with spinal muscular atrophy as a child  It is a disease that makes his muscles progressively weaker.  However, this has not s...

Title: Kindred Souls Author: Patricia MacLachlin Perma-Bound Catalogue #: 70437 Description: Ten-year-old Jake shares a special bond with his grandfather, but when he asks Jake to build him a sod house, Jake is not sure he wants to do it. Rubric Rating: Level 4 - Loved it! Why I Read it:  I needed a book to recommend for a good reader in Grade 2 Lori's Notes: Simple and elegant story of Jake and his grandfather Billy.  Billy is 88 and Jake thinks he will live forever.  Billy tells Jake they are "kindred souls."  While they walk around the farm where Billy was born he talks about his old sod house and tells Jake they will build one together.  When Billy gets bronchitis, Jake, his sister Lida, and brother Jesse work together to build Billy a new sod house.  Jake thinks this will make him better so he will stay, but perhaps that's not what Billy really needs.  This book is full of great quotes and ideas that are wonderful for classroom d...

Title: Wonder Author: R. J. Palacio Perma-Bound Catalogue #: 61954 Description: Ten-year-old Auggie, born with extreme facial abnormalities, must struggle with the taunting and fear of classmates as he enters a private school in Manhattan in an attempt to live a normal life. Rubric Rating: Level 4 - Love It! Why I Read It: Great cover and multiple requests from customers.  I read 365 Days of Wonder first so I needed to read this book too. Lori's Notes:   This book was fantastic.  August Pullman is a normal kid, except for his face.  August was born with a severe facial deformity, and because of all the surgeries this required August was home schooled.  Now that he is 10, Auggie is enrolled in Beecher Prep Academy. Nervous at first Auggie makes friends with Jack Will and Summer but kids can be cruel and everyone isn't as able to see past Auggie's exterior to the smart and funny kid he is inside.  Kids like Julian who tease Auggie and try to tur...

Series:  The Midnighters Trilogy Author: Scott Westerfeld Perma-Bound Catalogue Series #: 792968 Titles:  Book 1 - The Secret Hour Description:   Upon moving to Bixby, Oklahoma, fifteen-year-old Jessica Day learns that she is one of a group of people who have special abilities that help them fight ancient creatures living in an hour hidden at midnight; creatures that seem determined to destroy Jess. Perma-Bound Catalogue #: 263910 Book 2 - Touching Darkness Description:  As they continue to battle evil creatures living in an hour hidden at midnight, Jessica and her new friends learn about Bixby, Oklahoma's shadowy past and uncover a deadly conspiracy that reaches beyond the secret hour. Perma-Bound Catalogue #: 1796 Book 3 - Blue Noon Description:   The five midnighters from Bixby discover that the secret hour is starting to invade the daylight world, and if they cannot stop it, the darklings will soon be free to hu...

Title: Colin Fischer Authors: Ashley Edward Miller & Zack Stentz Perma-Bound Catalogue #: 74916 Description: A youthful Sherlock Holmes whose Asperger's syndrome makes social interaction difficult, young Colin investigates a crime where he must uncover the greatest mystery of all -- what other people are thinking and feeling. Rubric Rating: Level 4 - Love It! Why I Read It: Interesting Cover.  I loved the little faces all over showing different emotions. Lori's Notes: I loved this book.   I’ve had it in my reading pile for a while and it finally made it to the top of the list.   I finished it in a couple of days.   With more time I probably would have finished it in one sitting.   Colin Fischer has Asperger’s syndrome and sensory integration disorder.   He doesn’t like loud noises and he definitely doesn’t like to be touched.   This is going to make his first year in high school more than a little challenging.   He doesn’t even ...

Title: How to Lead a Life of Crime Author: Kirsten Miller Perma-Bound Catalogue #: 79256 Description:  A teenaged pickpocket, haunted by the ghost of his brother killed by his father, is recruited for Mandel Academy, a school for criminals where only one student survives each semester. Rubric Rating: Level 3 - Laud It. Why I Read It: Great title but the cover and size of this book did nothing to entice me to read it.  I picked it up as a book to take with me to the cottage and I figured I wouldn't need to take any others with a book this size.  Turns out, I should have brought a couple of extras. Lori's Notes:   I picked this book up a couple of times but put it down again because of the length.  Glad I took the time to read it!  The book has good writing, an interesting plot, and moments that made me laugh out loud.  The plot was well devised and executed.  Flick is living on the streets after running away from military school. ...

Title: To All the Boys I've Loved Before Author: Jenny Han Perma-Bound Catalogue #: 80429 Description: Lara Jean's love life goes from imaginary to out-of-control when someone finds her cache of secret love letters and mails them to the boys to whom they are addressed. Rubric Rating: Level 2 - Like It Why I Read It: Interesting title and write up.  (Cover didn't appeal to me at all) Lori's Notes: I have to admit this is not really a genre that attracts me.  I don't tend to read a lot of romance fiction.  The write up sounded interesting but I have to say that I was a bit disappointed in the execution.  Lara Jean writes letters to the boy's she's in love with.  They're not love letters, they're leaving letters.  She writes them to get over her crush.  She's never actually had a real boyfriend.  However, when the letters are sent out to these five boys - including her sister's ex-boyfriend (Josh), and the first boy who ever kissed...

Title: This World We Live In Series: The Last Survivors Series Author: Susan Beth Pfeffer Perma-Bound Catalogue #: 41614 Description:  When the moon's gravitational pull increases, causing massive natural disasters on earth, Miranda and her family struggle to survive in a world without cities or sunlight, and wonder if anyone else is still alive. Rubric Rating: Level 3 - Laud It Why I Read It: I enjoyed the first two books in the series and am continuing on with the third instalment.  I love the image of the moon on each of the covers of the books.  It is so immense and overwhelming. Lori's Notes: This World We Live In takes place a year after the moon crash has happened.  Miranda and her family are surprised when an unexpected knock at their door turns out to be Miranda's father, his new wife, their new baby, as well as Alex and his sister Julie.  The families are still struggling to survive and want to find a way to the government city.  M...

Title: Mockingjay Series: The Hunger Games Trilogy Author: Suzanne Collins Perma-Bound Catalogue #: 44898 Description: Katniss' survival in her second Hunger Games has angered the Capitol and all those she loves are in danger. Rubric Rating: Level 4: Love it! Why I Read It: As the last book in the Hunger Games Trilogy I had to see how it all ended. Lori's Notes:  The Capitol has made a fatal error by creating a symbol of rebellion in Katniss.  She has escaped to District 13 - a district that is beyond the Capitol's control.  The districts are rising up to gain power against the Capitol but those wishing to wrest control may be no better than those in power now. Katniss struggles with her feelings for both Gale and Peeta, but her love for Prim is unwavering.  In the end, Katniss becomes the instrument she feared she would become.  I enjoyed this read whole-heartedly.  The series ended how I preferred and I felt that the consequences of the ac...

Title: The Dead and the Gone Series: The Last Survivors Series Author: Susan Beth Pfeffer Perma-Bound Catalogue #: 25844 Description: After a meteor hits the moon and sets off a series of horrific climate changes, seventeen-year-old Alex Morales must take care of his sisters in the chaos of New York City. Rubric Rating: Level 3 - Laud It Why I Read It: I enjoyed the first book in this series so much I had to read the next book. Lori's Notes: The Dead and the Gone focuses on Alex and his sisters Julie and Bri in New York City during the same time period as Miranda and her family in Life as we Knew It.  Being parallel novels, either book can be read first but I recommend reading this one second.  We meet Alex and his sisters at the time of the moon crash.  We never meet his mother or father and the kids are left to fend for themselves in their apartment in the city. Food, clothing, and heat quickly become issues and they must break into apartments and steal ...

Title: The Uninvited Author:  Tim Wynne-Jones ***Canadian Author*** Perma-Bound Catalogue #: 34459 Description: Mimi arrives at her father's vacation cottage and is surprised to find someone living there. She's even more surprised when the someone accuses her of leaving strange and threatening tokens inside. Now she must figure out who's responsible and, more importantly, what they want? Rubric Rating: Level 2 - Like It Why I Read It: I had already read a couple of titles by Wynne-Jones and picked this up as part of an author study. Lori's Notes: This book was not what I was expecting from the cover.  I was expecting more of a supernatural story, perhaps a haunted house, but this novel was nothing like that at all.  After a bad break up, Mimi travels to Canada to spend time at her estranged father's cabin but finds someone else living there.  Turns out she isn't an only child and has a stepbrother. They are plagued by break-ins and strange messag...

Title: Between Shades of Gray Author: Ruta Sepetys Perma-Bound Catalogue #: 49070 Description: In 1941, fifteen-year-old Lina and her family are sent to Siberia, where her father is sentenced to death in a prison camp, and she vows to honor her family and others by burying her story in a jar on Lithuanian soil. Rubric Rating: Level 4 - Love It Why I Read It: A debut novel by this author. Lori's Notes: This is Ruta Sepetys' debut novel and it is amazing.  The story is based on the Russian occupation and Stalin's deportation of groups of Lithuanians, Estonians, and Latvians to Siberia during WWII.  Lina's life in Lithuania is suddenly thrown into chaos when the Russian NKVD (the precursor to the KGB) arrives at their home telling them they have 20 minutes to pack.  Lina's 10-year-old brother Jonas and their mother Elena hastily pack up some of their belongings and are immediately taken to the train station and loaded into cattle cars.  Their journey take...

Title: A Tale Dark and Grimm Series:  The Grimm Series Author: Adam Gidwitz Perma-Bound Catalogue #: 51063 Description: Follows Hansel and Gretel as they walk out of their own story and into eight more tales, encountering such wicked creatures as witches, along with kindly strangers and other helpful folk. Rubric Rating: Level 3 - Laud It Why I Read It: A fantastic title and a love for all things Grimm! Lori's Notes: A re-writing of a few fairy tales to include Hansel and Gretel (including their own). These two children run away from home, have adventures including a rescue, a trip to hell, and outwitting a murderer.  Some of the stories are dark - just as the Grimm stories were - and bloody.  The narrator who interjects throughout the stories is funny and sarcastic.  I really enjoyed this book and having read many of the original Grimm tales I liked the return of the more grisly parts! Recommended Readers: This book would be a great read aloud for ...