children’s literature

Through Space and Time

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pi in the skyI just finished reading Wendy Mass’ latest book, Pi in the Sky. I have not decided if I like the book or not. Some parts confused me, but other parts about beings who oversee our universe and are responsible for keeping the planets in orbit kept me reading. There is a space/time element in the book as well.

magic halfI started thinking about books I have read where characters travel through time to a different reality, and the character’s world is still running in a parallel universe, so the space-time continuum is disrupted. I kind of like the circular thinking of a person returning to the past, disrupting an event that occurred, and then meeting up again in present day a la Back to the Future. It has the ability to blow your mind if you really concentrate on the whole concept of time. Here are a few book choices that deal with dropping in and out of time.

george washingtons socks

  • Charlotte Sometimes by Penelope Farmer– This is for a more sophisticated reader. The language and vocabulary is more difficult, and the story pace can be slow. I like this book, though.
  • Children of the Red King, Charlie Bone and the Time Twister by Jenny Nimmo– Many people list this as a Harry Potter read-alike. This book is the second in the series.
  • The Devil’s Arithmetic by Jane Yolen– Holocaust alert!
  • George Washington’s Socks by Elvira Woodruff– If you are a fan of Magic Treehouse. This is like a Magic Treehouse for an older reader. Woodruff has companion books too.
  • The Gideon Trilogy, The Time Travelers by Linda Buckley-Archer– I loved the first book; I could not finish the sequel.
  • The Magic Half by Annie Barrows– My favorite time travel book.
  • North of Nowhere by Liz Kessler– Found this because I love the author’s Emily Windsnap series so much.
  • Teddy Powers: The Stone Keepers by Anne Todd– This is a self-published book by a parent at my school. My students (and Mr. Star Wars) love this book. It is available on Amazon.
  • The 13th Reality, The Journal of Curious Letters by James Dashner– This book can be slow in parts, but the concept of parallel lives existing at the same time held my interest.
  • The Wells Bequest: A Companion to the Grimm Legacy by Polly Shulman– I really liked the Grimm Legacy, so you may want to read both books.
  • When You Reach Me by Rebecca Stead– This book is so much better if you are familiar with A Wrinkle in Time.
  • A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L’Engle– One of the originals for this type of science fiction (in my opinion).

teddy powersI am trying to remember the name of a book I read as a child about a character who would walk down a foggy street and be transported back in time. I think the setting of the story was London. Does this sound familiar to anyone? Please help me out with a title if you read this book too!

Man’s Best Friends

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black stallion book

TheRoomDad suggested my son read The Black Stallion since it was TheRoomDad’s favorite book when he was a kid. I was skeptical. I saw the movie when I was about nine years old and thought it was the most boring movie I had ever seen. Turns out, as is almost always true, the book is much better than the movie.

There are several things I like about the book, but the best part is the relationship between Alec and Black. Alec assumes complete responsibility for the horse, and while adults support Alec, ultimately, Alec is the one who has to care for Black every day even if it might be inconvenient. Alec and the horse rely on each other and develop a deep friendship. These themes of companionship, trust, responsibility, and independence can be found in many animal books and are reasons I think kids love to read books with animal characters.

Below is a list of other animal-centered chapter books that we like. As you may suspect, more than a handful of animal books also fall in the Sad but Good book category, so if you don’t see your favorite animal book here, check the other list.

Mr. Star Wars likes the more realistic animal books; I prefer the fantasy animal books. Do you enjoy animal books? If so, which style do you prefer?

julie of the wolves book

Animals as Pets (realistic-ish)

  • Belly Up by Stuart Gibbs
  • The Black Stallion series by Walter Farley
  • The Incredible Journey by Sheila Burnford
  • Julie of the Wolves series by Jean Craighead George
  • Kavik the Wolf Dog by Walt Morey
  • A Mango-Shaped Space by Wendy Mass
  • Misty of Chincoteague by Marguerite Henry
  • The Music of Dolphins by Karen Hesse
  • The One and Only Ivan by Katherine Applegate
  • Rascal by Sterling North
  • Ribsy by Beverly Cleary
  • Shiloh by Phyllis Reynolds Naylor
  • Sounder by William H. Armstrong
  • The Yearling by Marjorie K. Rawlings

trumpet of the swan book

Animals with Human Qualities (fantasy)

  • The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe series by C.S. Lewis
  • Mistmantle Chronicles by M.I. McAllister
  • The Mouse and the Motorcycle by Beverly Cleary
  • Mousenet by Prudence Breitrose
  • Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH by Robert C. O’Brien
  • Poppy series by Avi
  • Stuart Little by E.B. White
  • The Tale of Despereaux by Kate DiCamillo
  • Trumpet of the Swan by E.B. White
  • Watership Down by Richard Adams
  • What the Dog Said by Randi Reisfeld
  • Wildwood series by Colin Meloy
  • The Wind in the Willows by Kenneth Grahame
  • Winnie the Pooh series by A.A. Milne

As a little bonus, here are a few picture books we like too!

Picture Books

  • Brambly Hedge series by Jill Barklem
  • Brave Bitsy and the Bear by Angela McAllister
  • Bread and Jam for Frances and others by Russell Hoban
  • Chrysanthemum by Kevin Henkes
  • Curious George and others by Margret and H.A. Rey
  • Olivia and others by Ian Falconer
  • Peter Rabbit and others by Beatrix Potter
  • A Sick Day for Amos McGee by Philip C. Stead
  • Sylvester and the Magic Pebble by William Steig
  • Two Bad Ants by Chris Van Allsburg

complete brambly hedge

The Right Reading Level

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One of TheRoomDad’s best friends, affectionately known as Uncle Burrito at our house, visited a few months back and asked me about book recommendations for his 2nd grader. His daughter is a crazy good reader and not only finishes books at mock speed, she also reads at a level that is much higher than an average 8 year old. He said that she finishes books on the ride home from the library or book store, and the book never even makes it into the house. He wanted book ideas that might slow her pace a little but also have content that is suitable for a 2nd grader.

peter-and-the-starcatchers

How do you help your child pick a book when they are reading at a higher level than their age?

  • First of all, it is OK to read below reading level. It increases fluency, supports comprehension, and minimizes frustration. In fact, I often encourage reading at the low end of a child’s reading range when reading for pleasure or during “free reading” time.
  • Think about books you loved as a child and recommend those titles. I find that classic books stand the test of time very well, and I think the content is not nearly as “edgy” as some literature that is published today. 
  • Find a series that your child loves. This is a great way to buy some time before you have to come up with more titles. If you can find a series with a good first book, chances are the content will stay at about the same level in all of the books.
  • Not only can you follow a series, you can also follow an author. But, some authors write for a young and older audience, so pay attention. Think about Judy Blume’s Forever versus Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing.
  • Read the book jacket or online summary of a book. If the synopsis mentions death, destruction, or “coming of age” (translation = puberty or romance), that is a red flag that the content may be for an older child.
  • Our library has a new eReader service. You can check out books through your iPad, and they download to your device. The book is deleted from your iPad on the due date. This won’t slow down your speedy reader, but it will reduce your visits to the book store and library.

Here are a few book options that are high reading level for the grade but “clean” content.

Advanced 1st/2nd Grade Reader:

  • All of a Kind Family by Sydney Taylor, 4.9
  • The Black Stallion by Walter Farley, 6.5
  • The Candy Shop War by Brandon Mull, 4.6
  • Cricket in Times Square by George Selden, 5.9
  • The Doll People by Ann M. Martin, 3.8
  • Henry Huggins series by Beverly Cleary, 4.1-5.7
  • The Indian in the Cupboard series, 5.5-6.1
  • The Last of the Really Great Whangdoodles by Julie Edwards, 7.3
  • The Lemonade War series, 3.4-4.5
  • Little House series by Laura Ingalls Wilder, 4.3-5.3
  • The Million Dollar Putt by Dan Gutman, 4.5
  • No Talking (5.0) and School Story (4.7) by Andrew Clements
  • Poppy and Friends series by Avi, 3.5-5.8
  • Ramona series by Beverly Cleary, 3.5-5.9
  • The Secret Garden (6.8) and The Little Princess (4.0) by Frances Hodges Burnett
  • The Sherlock Files series by Tracy Barrett, 4.3
  • Tuesdays at the Castle by Jessica George, 3.0
  • Who Was series by various authors, 3.0-4.0

Advanced 3rd/4th Grade Reader:

  • Far North by Will Hobbs, 6.8
  • How to Train Your Dragon series by Cressida Cowell, 5.7-7.4
  • The Incredible Journey by Sheila Burnford, 8.1
  • My Side of the Mountain by Jean Craighead George, 6.1
  • The Mysterious Benedict Society series by Trenton Lee Stewart, 6.3
  • Urchin of the Riding Stars by M.I. McAllister, not leveled
  • Peter and the Starcatchers by Dave Barry and Ridley Pearson, 6.2
  • Princess Academy by Shannon Hale (sequel has a little romance), 5.0
  • Remarkable by Lizzie K.. Foley, not leveled
  • The Secret Series by Pseudonymous Bosch, 5.3
  • The White Mountains series, 6.1
  • The Wizard of Oz series by Frank Baum, 6.9

Reading Levels

  • I included a reading level for each book/series on the list. This is a guideline only. 4.3 is roughly where a typical student would be in the 3rd month of 4th grade. For more information on leveling books you can read this article on the Scholastic website. Not only are books leveled by content, they also look at the length of words and sentences. More words with lots of syllables might bump up the reading level. So, The Last of the Really Great Whangdoodles, which has words like Papilionaceous, earns a higher level.

It Might Make You Cry, but You Should Read it Anyway

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I don’t understand why I love books that are sad, but I do. I often have a book hangover** for days after finishing a tearjerker. These sad stories typically involve a pet or family member death though that is not a requirement. Here are a few of my favorite books that might make the reader cry, but they are so good, it is hard to put them down.

The books are roughly upper elementary (4th, 5th, 6th) reading range, but I noted a few for middle school readers. Several are great read alouds for younger readers, but remember, it is hard to read aloud when sobbing. There was an incident this year in a certain 4th grade classroom with Stone Fox.

** Book Hangover– (n) The lingering feeling a person has after finishing a book and can not get the story out of his/her mind. It sometimes prevents a person from starting a new book.

  • Because of Mr. Terupt by Rob Buyea (6th grade+)
  • Bridge to Terabithia by Katherine Paterson
  • Charlotte’s Web by E. B. White
  • Death Be Not Proud by John Gunther (7th grade+)
  • The Hundred Dresses by Eleanor Estes
  • Island of the Blue Dolphins by Scott O’Dell
  • Love That Dog and Hate That Cat by Sharon Creech (My students don’t cry when they read these books. I think it is a mom thing that makes me cry.)
  • A Mango-Shaped Space by Wendy Mass
  • Missing May by Cynthia Rylant
  • The One and Only Ivan by Katherine Applegate
  • See You at Harry’s by Jo Knowles
  • Shiloh by Phyllis Reynolds Naylor
  • Stone Fox by John Reynolds Gardiner
  • A Summer to Die by Lois Lowry
  • Watership Down by Richard Adams (7th grade+)
  • Wonder by R.J. Palacio

And the Grand Prize Winner, hands down, never fails to make me cry hysterically, but I have read it at least ten times– Where the Red Fern Grows by Wilson Rawls.

Blogging 101

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fireworks

I hit a mini milestone at TheRoomMom last week. I have written 101 posts. When I started the blog 9 months ago, I had a list of about 20 ideas, so I am a little thrilled that I have put together 101 ideas, and I still have a few more in the hopper. As I look back, there are definitely some posts that resonate better than others.

carpool sign hanging

According to my stats, my most popular post is Carpool Etiquette. I also had my best day view-wise on the day I published the carpool rules. Why? I linked to a hilarious carpool post by HotMessMom, and she shared my link on her Facebook page. Wham! I had over 300 views in an hour. It gave me a small taste of what it would be like to have a Superblog.

american girl diy dessert

My most popular DIY post is the American Girl Buffet. It is also my most popular Pinterest referral. Obviously, I need to make more American Girl accessories. I am not sure Miss Priss can handle it.

Jedi Robe and Lightsaber 3

I was surprised that the Tonka Birthday Party was the most viewed party idea. I was sure it was going to be the Star Wars Sleepover.

Back to School Teacher Emergency Kit Contents

The best teacher gift idea is the Teacher Emergency Kit. This also happens to be my favorite gift idea, and I plan to re-post again every August right before school starts.

Teacher Speak is the highest rated parent/teacher post I have. I guess we all need tips for parent/teacher conferences.

Flotsam and Who's Driving

My most popular book list is the Picture Book post. My favorite book list is the Classic Re-Makes.

breakfast cup close up

It seems Breakfast Cups are the best snack food. I must say readers, you made a good choice there.

Here’s to TheRoomMom!