I must admit that before reading the 6th book, I was ready for the Harry Potter series to be done. While I’ve faithfully read the entire series, books 2-5 just didn’t draw me in the way the first book did. I feel much differently now that I’ve read the 6th book. This book was exciting, it answered many questions, tied many more plot details together, was fast-paced, and ended far too quickly. I can hardly wait for the 7th book to come out, although I feel that to truly enjoy it, I should re-read books 1-6 first.

A Newbery Honor book written in 1931. Thirteen-year-old Marguerite is left orphaned in the New World, and must serve as a servant to the Sargent family until her 18th birthday. She travels with the Sargents to their new home in northern Maine. The family faces all sorts of danger, from starvation to wild animals to Indian attacks. But Marguerite grows to love her new home, and when the family’s lives hang in the balance, she finds the strength to save them all. I really enjoyed this book; It definitely appeals to my love of “pioneer fiction.”

Another good book by Clements, focusing on the teacher/student relationship. Not as good as Frindle, but still very entertaining. Mark and his teacher, Mr. Maxwell, get off to the wrong start in school, and it only gets worse once they arrive at the annual 5th grade “Week in the Woods” trip.

The characteristic of Clements’ writing that I most enjoy is the way he explains what both the students and the teacher are thinking. As a reader, I really understand both points of view, and so understand why all the characters are acting the way they do.

This book was wonderful! Nicholas Allen is a fifth grader who has numerous great ideas to make school more exciting. His newest idea seemed fairly tame, but caused quite an uproar. Inspired by his teacher, Nicholas decides to make up a new word. The consequences are greater than anyone imagined.

While some books make me feel guilty as a teacher (One Child) this book was inspirational. Nicholas’ teacher, Mrs. Granger, challenges her students even when they complain, but is also completely supportive of their efforts. I hope that as a teacher, I can be as influential to my students as Mrs. Granger was to Nicholas.

When Ricky discovers that his mother was not killed in an accident, but was murdered by drug lords, he wants his dad to seek revenge. But his father, a former drug-enforcement agent, refuses. So Ricky travels to Mexico to take matters into his own hands.

I liked this book for the way in which it portrayed “rateros” (kids living on the streets). In the book, these children were seen as hard-working and resourceful. One even befriended and helped Ricky. It’s good to see these kids in a positive way. The whole premise of the book seemed a bit far-fetched to me, but I can see how upper elementary kids would really like it.

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