Loser

Author: Jerry Spinelli

Publishing:  Harper Collins Publisher

Number of Pages:  Soft Cover—224 pages

Genre:  Realistic Fiction

Reading Level:  Ages 8-12

Summary:  Donald Zinkoff is one of those children that really just has such a hard time fitting in.  In first grade, Zinkoff is introduced to school. He loves it, even though he is always seated in the rear of the classroom because his teacher sits students alphabetically.  Sadly, Zinkoff hits his low point in fifth grade, when his team does not want him to participate in that year's field day because of his horrible performance during last year's field day.  Sixth grade is Zinkoff's first year of Middle School, where he meets again his friend from second grade, Andrew. All of Donald’s peers consider him to be a loser, but he's not; in fact, Zinkoff has a heart of gold. This is shown through his interactions with his parents and the lonely, elderly lady in his neighborhood, as well as the hours he spends looking for a little girl from his neighborhood who becomes lost in a snowstorm near the end of the book. 

 Zinkoff really loves when he is able to spend the day with his dad pretending to deliver mail.  He also loves biking all over his neighborhood and checking on the waiting man. Donald Zinkoff constantly has positive attitude and he always tries to do his very best. 

My Reaction to the Book:  I really liked this book.  I just thought that it was a really good book for anyone to read because it really tells the story of a this boy who can’t fit in and it is so good to see what kind of influence a teacher can have on a student.  A great book for me especially because I want to be a teacher.

Potential Problems:  The only problem that I see with this book is that Donald is kind of an outcast and this might be kind of hard for some kids to understand why none of the other kids are nice to him or they could be in the same situation themselves.

Recommendations:  I would recommend this book to anyone.   It is such a good, interesting story and it’s another one of those books that you don’t want to put down—you just want to keep reading it.

The Wanderings of Odysseus

Author: Rosemary Sutcliff

Publishing:  Laurel Leaf Books

Number of Pages:  Paperback—131 pages

Genre:  Traditional Literature—Myths

Reading Level:  Ages 9-12

Summary:  At the beginning of the book we learn that Odysseus and his people on his ship set sail to destroy Troy.  It is destroyed but the journey has only just started for Odysseus.  He encounters the Cyclops where he is forced to blind him and then this puts Poseidon against him which only worsens his travels.  He encounters the Lord of the Winds, an Enchantress, and he travels to the Land of the Dead.  He meets the king’s daughter and participates in the Phaeacian games.  Finally he is able to return to his home—Ithica, but only to have to disguise himself as a beggar until he is able to slay all of the suitors in his home.  After many dangers that are set before Odysseus, in the end he is finally able to be home, safe, and with his family.

My Reaction to the Book:  I thought that this book was okay.  It’s not really my type of book—I thought that it was kind of boring.  It did give all the facts though of Odysseus’s travels which was really good to know.  But overall, I definitely didn’t love it.

Potential Problems:  It tells the stories and travels of Odysseus and some of them are kind of gruesome and disturbing.  A lot of people are killed throughout the book so this could cause some problems among children.

Recommendations:  I don’t think I would recommend this book to anyone, maybe if someone was required to read the book then this may be a good option because it gives the facts and is a decently easy read.

The Eleventh Hour: A Curious Mystery

Author: Graeme Base

Publishing:  Puffin Books

Number of Pages:  Picture book—30 pages

Genre:  Picture Book

Reading Level:  5+

Summary:  This story is about an Elephant names Horace.  It is his eleventh birthday and he prepares a great feast for his eleven friends that are coming to his party.  The guests start arriving and they are shown the great feast but are told that they will not be eating until the Eleventh Hour arrives.  To pass the time they play games: sack races, snakes and ladders, cricket, tennis, tug o’ war and others.  Finally, the Eleventh Hour arrives and the guests go in to have the feast but it seems to have disappeared!  Someone stole it and no one seems to know who did it.  This is where we find ourselves in a mystery.  Looking at the book, the beautiful, creative illustrations for a second time you find that there are a series of clues hidden carefully in the drawings.  It is easy to lose yourself in trying to find all of the clues, as there are very many.  All of the answers and explanations are offered in the back of the book.

My Reaction to the Book:  I actually really enjoyed the book.  As I read it I thought the illustrations were amazing and just so detailed.  Then when I found out it was a mystery and there were clues scattered throughout I enjoyed going back and trying to find out who stole the feast.  It’s a very interesting and fun book for any child.

Potential Problems:  The only problem that this book may have is the fact that the mice stole the feast from the elephant and all of his friends—there wasn’t any sharing.

Recommendations:  I would recommend this book to anyone because even if you are reading it to a small child they will still enjoy the story and the pictures.  A older child can really enjoy it too though because they would be able to search for clues and try to figure out the mystery.

Holes

Author: Louis Sachar

Publishing:  Yearling Books

Number of Pages: Paperback—240 pages

Genre: Fantasy

Reading Level: Ages 9-12

Summary:  This book is about a boy who has always had bad luck because of a curse put on his family, Stanley Yelnats, who goes to “Camp Green Lake” after he is wrongly accused of stealing a pair of shoes.  At this camp the boys are forced to dig one hole a day.  Stanley starts making some friends at the camp and even gets his own nickname: Caveman.  At one point Caveman finds a tube of lipstick that has the initials “K.B.” on it but he gives it to the group leader, X-Ray so he can stay on good terms with him.  The Warden makes them dig around where the tube was supposedly found, but they don’t find anything more.  He ends up making a deal with his friend Zero that if he will help him dig his whole then he will teach zero how to read and write.  Caveman and Zero get in trouble and Zero takes off into the empty desert.  Caveman, in an effort to save Zero, goes after him.  He finds him and they travel together to what looks like God’s thumb.  Stanley has to carry Zero because he becomes so weak (Zero’s real name is Hector Zeroni, and the curse could only be broken if a Yelnats carries a Zeroni up the mountain, although Hector and Stanley do not know this).  They survive for a while on the onions that they found on the top of “God’s Thumb” and then they decide to dig one last hole—the place where the tube really was found.  They end up digging up a chest that says Stanley Yelnats on it.  The warden tries to get it from him but he manages to hold onto it and Stanley is able to go home and Hector goes with him.  The camp is shut down, Hector finds his mom, the curse is forever broken, and both the Yelnats family and the Zeroni family become rich from the contents of the buried chest.

My Reaction to the Book:  I really loved this book.  I had seen the movie before I read the book, and I really liked the movie so I knew the book would be great.  I had a hard time putting the book down, I often stayed up quite late reading it just because I wanted to keep going and see what happens. 

Potential Problems:  This book may have a little too much suspense for some children as yellow-spotted lizards cause instant death.  Also when Zero runs away and no one knows if he is alive.  And then when Stanley and Zero are out of food and water and in desperate need to find some.  Also Kissin’ Kate Barlow murders people to get revenge on the people that killed Sam.  These may pose as problems for some children.

Recommendations:  I would recommend this book to anyone.  It was just such a great fantasy and taught some valuable lessons.  I will definitely be reading it to my children.