Strike Zone by Mike Lupica is equal parts baseball and family drama. 12 year old Nick Garcia is the star pitcher on the Bronx Blazers a team in the summer Dream League a tournament which the Yankees sponsor to bring more kids from the city into baseball. This summer the MVP of the tournament will throw out the first pitch before a Yankee home game. And that is Nick's dream along with someday playing pro ball, like his hero Michael Arroyo. Arroyo, a star Yankee pitcher came to America from Cuba as a child and grew up in the South Bronx like Nick, hiding his immigrant status. (You can read his story in Heat by Lupica). Nick's secret is his parents, who came from Guatemala and have extended their allowed stay. If the Immigration authorities find them, they could be sent back to Guatemala and of course would take their children, Nick and his sister, even though the two were born in America and are therefore citizens. Follow the Bronx Blazer's summer tournament, Nick's pitching triumphs and challenges and the danger that is always surrounding his family. Sports fiction, grades 3-5. Real Pigeons Fight Crime by Andrew McDonald is a silly and fun detective story and the detectives are pigeons! Rock has always loved to disguise himself and surprise others but when a group of crime-fighting pigeons invite him to join their squad, they begin working on three different crime stopping missions, each with twist and a flying animal culprit. Real facts about different kinds of pigeons are included with terrific illustrations and fun puns too! First in a series. Graphic novel fantasy, grades 1-3. Becoming Muhammad Ali by Kwame Alexander and James Patterson. Two stellar authors combine to tell the story of the young Cassius Clay who grew up to became the great fighter and social justice leader Muhammed Ali. In 10 rounds (instead of chapters) the reader follows Cassius' life in Louisville, Kentucky with his brother Rudy, parents, grandfather and a great group of friends who all looked up to and supported the engaging, generous and talented Cassius. The story ends when he wins his first Gold Glove tournament in Chicago in 1959 but clearly shows the reader how Cassius's childhood in the south in the 1950s including the Jim Crow laws, the segregation, and a myriad of challenges and road blocks young blacks faced shaped the fighter and the man he would become. Through it all, Cassius and his best friend Lucky shine with humor, a positive attitude and a strong sense of who they are and where they come from. This is a not to be missed biography, told in both prose and poetry. Grades 3-5 How to Avoid Distinction by Paul Acampora takes the reader from Allentown Pennsylvania to the Cleveland -Lloyd Dinosaur Quarry in Utah on a road trip with 11 year old Leo, his feisty grandmother and 17 year old cousin Abbey. They are on a hunt to see the Allosaurus (or its fossils) as it was the favorite dinosaur of Leo's grandfather, who died the year before. In his memory and because they always loved road trips, Gram decides to take her pretty ancient Buick to Utah, with Abbey who convinces Leo to come along, although Leo's mother is not exactly told what they are doing. From the Field Museum in Chicago where they encounter parking issues with the police, through the Rocky mountains with bear scares, the trio and the budding paleontologist and new friend they pick up along the way, create a trip that is funny, meaningful, even life changing, and a great fast paced read. Realistic fiction grades 4/5. Tornado by Betsy Byars. A dog sitting in a dog house, suddenly appears in a family's yard at the end of a real tornado! The whole family, mom, dad and two brothers fall in love with him, name him Tornado and adopt him. There are many stories of the dog with the family as well as other dog stories in each chapter, until a family in town recognizes Tornado, but calls him by another name. For all dog lovers - read to find out the conclusion! Realistic Fiction, grades 2-4. The Perfect Star by Rob Buyea is the 3rd story in the "perfect" series which began with the Perfect Score and introduced us to a group of diverse students, who became supportive friends in the first book and continue to tell their story, now at the beginning of eighth grade. Each chapter is the voice of a character allowing the reader to get the perspectives of Natalie, Randi, Scott, Gavin, and Trevor as they navigate a year full of new challenges including a new football coach, sports injuries, bullies and family problems and new relationships. Saucy by Kadohata is the story of "Saucy" an orphaned and very sickly baby pig being raised to health by 11 year old Becca, who found her, with the help of her three quadruplet brothers, their parents and grandmother. Before Saucy, Becca felt like she did not have a passion while her brothers all did and the family time often revolved around their interests or needs, hockey, science and music. She loves all three but has felt somewhat neglected and as summer approached and her best friend has moved away...sad. But suddenly everything changes. On a family walk Becca hears an odd squeal in the bushes and so begins the saga of raising Saucy, nursing her to health, and discovering how challenging a smart little pig can be, and how fast they grow. And while everyone pitches in, it is Becca who Saucy sees as her mother. The big shock though is when Becca and her brothers solve the mystery of where Saucy came from. Realistic fiction, grade 3-5. The Unicorn Rescue Society:The Creature of the Pines. by Adam Gidwitz. When Elliot, on his first day of a new school is paired with Uchenna on a field trip led by a strange professor, they find a friendship as well as an amazing adventure. When separated from the group they find a small strange and very scared creature hiding in the woods. The creature likes part of Elliot's lunch and crawls into his backpack which the kids discover on the bus home. They also find out the creature can turn invisible and disappears in the city. While they realize they need to find it, protect it and decide what to do with it, the strange professor from the field trip shows up. Read to find out what happens and then continue with this creative and fun series! Fantasy, Grades 2-5. Lety out loud by Angela Cervantes. Lety and her family moved from Mexico to Kansas several years earlier and she has spend her summers improving her English. But this summer after fifth grade, she is feeling more confident and wants to follow her passion for animals. She begins a summer camp at an animal shelter that asks the campers to help them get the dogs and cats adopted by writing want ads for them. Lety discovers she has a talent for understanding the personality of an animal and writing an ad that will attract a good owner! But some of the other campers seem jealous of her talent, or maybe they don't like her because of her Mexican background? How will Lety handle these campers? Realistic Fiction, grades 3-5.
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December 2021
My Reading List!
AuthorI am the Library Media Center director at Patton School in Arlington Heights where I help students from kindergarten through 5th grade find terrific independent reading for enjoyment and information, and teach students the skills to use information and technology safely and productively and to connect, communicate and share with others. I have four grown children, a large black dog, (flat coat retriever) and a small striped cat. I am an obessive Chicago Cubs fan and I love to run. Patton LMC Summer Reading Blog |