Tuesday, November 16, 2010

Word After Word After Word by Patricia MacLachlan

  From the Publisher: "Every school day feels the same for fourth graders Lucy and Henry and Evie and Russell and May. Then Ms. Mirabel comes to their class—bringing magical words and a whole new way of seeing and understanding."

Publisher: HarperCollins, 2010, 128 pp.

Sit-In: How Four Friends Stood Up by Sitting Down by Andrea Davis Pinkney

From the Publisher: "It was February 1, 1960. They didn't need menus. Their order was simple. A doughnut and coffee, with cream on the side. Courageously defying the WHITES ONLY edict of the era, four young black men took a stand against the injustice of segregation in America by sitting down at the lunch counter of a Woolworth's department store. Countless others of all races soon joined the cause following Martin Luther King Jr.'s powerful words of peaceful protest. By sitting down together, they stood up for civil rights and created the perfect recipe for integration not only at the Woolworth's counter, but on buses and and in communities throughout the South."

Publisher: Little Brown, 2010, 40 pp.

Ninth Ward by Jewell Parker Rhoades

 Ninth Ward by Jewell Parker Rhodes: Book Cover From the Publisher: "Twelve-year-old Lanesha lives in a tight-knit community in New Orleans' Ninth Ward. She doesn't have a fancy house like her uptown family or lots of friends like the other kids on her street. But what she does have is Mama Ya-Ya, her fiercely loving caretaker, wise in the ways of the world and able to predict the future. So when Mama Ya-Ya's visions show a powerful hurricane--Katrina--fast approaching, it's up to Lanesha to call upon the hope and strength Mama Ya-Ya has given her to help them both survive the storm."

Publisher: Little Brown, 2010, 217 pp.

The Night Fairy by Laura Amy Schlitz

Cover Image From the Publisher: "What would happen to a fairy if she lost her wings and could no longer fly? Flory, a young night fairy no taller than an acorn and still becoming accustomed to her wings — wings as beautiful as those of a luna moth — is about to find out. What she discovers is that the world is very big and very dangerous. But Flory is fierce and willing to do whatever it takes to survive. If that means telling others what to do — like Skuggle, a squirrel ruled by his stomach — so be it. Not every creature, however, is as willing to bend to Flory’s demands."

Publisher: Candlewick, 2010, 117 pp.

The Fantastic Secret of Owen Jester by Barbara O'Connor

From the Publisher: "An amazing secret has tumbled off a freight train into Carter, Georgia, and Owen Jester is the only person who knows about it. If he can simply manage to evade his grandfather’s snappish housekeeper, organize his two best friends, and keep his nosy neighbor, Viola, at bay, he just might be in for the summer of a lifetime."

Publisher: Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 2010, 176 pp.

Emily's Fortune by Phyllis Reynolds Naylor

Cover Image

From the Publisher: "Emily Wiggins is poor and timid, without a drop of self-confidence. When she is unexpectedly orphaned, she is left all alone except for her turtle, Rufus.
What in blinkin' bloomers should Emily do?  Emily's neighbors, Mrs. Ready, Mrs. Aim, and Mrs. Fire, have the answer: Emily must travel by stagecoach to the home of her honorable aunt Hilda.  What a rootin' tootin' grand idea!
But Miss Catchum of the Catchum Child-Catching Services will get a big bonus for delivering Emily to her next of kin, the vicious Uncle Victor.  How the ding dong dickens will Emily escape Miss Catchum?  It will take all the gumption and cunning of fellow orphan and traveler Jackson to help Emily find her confidence, her conniving spirit, and the true reason Uncle Victor wants to claim her."
Publisher: Random House, 2010, 160 pp.


But how in flippin' flapjacks will Emily outsmart Uncle Victor?

Clementine: Friend of the Week by Sara Pennypacker

                                       From the publisher: "It's Clementine's turn to be "Friend of the Week"! She gets to be line leader, collect the lunch money, and feed the fish. Even better, the other kids will make her a booklet, full of the things they value about having her in the class. After reading her friend Margaret's booklet, Clementine begins to get nervous and a little jealous --she has to get a great booklet now. Fortunately, she has a lot of astoundishing ideas for getting the kids to write great stuff about her. Unfortunately, just as she's working on the best one, something terrible happens to her beloved kitten Moisturizer. Worst of all, exactly when she needs a friend the most, Margaret lets her down."

Publisher: Hyperion, 2010, 176 pp.

List #3

This list has fewer titles than previous lists so that you are able to read more of the titles.  Though we urge you to read two books from this list for the December book club meeting, we are also encouraging participants to continue reading from lists #1 and #2.  At our December meeting we will be asking for book suggestions for the final list. 

Clementine: Friend of the Week
Falling In by Frances
Fantastic Secret of Owen Jester
The Night Fairy
Ninth Ward
Sit-In: How Four Friends Stood Up by Sitting Down
Star in the Forest
Word After Word After Word


Reading List #2
Reading List #1

Mock Newbery Book Club information
Book Discussion guidelines