This historical fiction book takes place in Nazi Germany during the Holocaust. A young nine- year-old boy named Bruno moves to a new house in Auschwitz. He explores his new surroundings and he meets a boy wearing striped pajamas and golden armband on the other side of a fence. He has met a boy in a concentration camp. Bruno befriends Shmuel and one day Shmuel asks Bruno for help to find his father. Bruno disguises himself as a concentration camp prisoner and goes into the camp to help. Sadly both boys are killed in the gas chambers. This heartbreaking story helps to show the tragedy the Holocaust caused.
Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
Author: John Boyne
Illustrator: N/A
Publisher: David Fickling Books
Publication Date: 2007
ISBN: 9780385751537
This historical fiction book takes place during the Great Chicago Fire. This book is about a former slave, eleven year old Hallelujah and her newfound friend Elizabeth. Hallelujah is a very adventurous girl that follows her foster brother through streets of Chicago to watch the conflagration that has started. At first Hallelujah is fascinated by the fires, but that is short lived as she sees buildings in flames and realizes all the lives that have been lost. During this time of disaster Hallelujah realizes that all people become equal in times of crisis.
Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars
Author: Harriette Gillem Robinet
Illustrator: N/A
Publisher: Aladdin Paperbacks
Publication Date: 2001
ISBN: 9780689839689
This historical fiction book is set in the south during segregation and the Jim Crow Laws. Ella Mae needs to get new shoes because her hand-me-down shoes do not fit anymore, but when Ella Mae and her mother go into Mr. Johnson's shoe store she is not allowed to try on shoes because of the color of her skin. Now Ella Mae and her friend Charlotte decide to collect and restore old shoes and have their own shoe sale so that African Americans can "try on all the shoes they want."
Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
Author: Susan Lynn Meyer
Illustrator: Eric Velasquez
Publisher: Holiday House
Publication Date: 2015
ISBN: 9780823425280
This informational book is all about learning why certain features are on animals and there use. 25 animals explain why they look the way they do. This book is set up in a question answer format that has someone ask an animal a question and the animal answers. An example question is "Dear horned frog: Your mouth is ginormous. Why so big?" Read this book to find out the answer!
Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars
Author: Steve Jenkins & Robin Page
Illustrator: Steve Jenkins & Robin Page
Publisher: HMH Books for Young Readers
Publication Date: 2014
ISBN: 9780544233515
This informational book is all about discovering animal habitats around the world. This book helps readers learn how animals grow and thrive in their different environments. This book is also interactive because it has readers search for camouflaged animals in their surroundings.
Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars
Author: Steve Jenkins & Robin Page
Illustrator: Steve Jenkins & Robin Page
Publisher: HMH Books for Young Readers
Publication Date: 2005
ISBN: 9780618507641
This informational book won the Caldecott honor in 2004! This book has kids try and guess which animal each part belongs to throughout the book. It also questions the different things that animals do with different parts of their body like nose, ears, tail, etc. It is a very interactive fun way to learn more about animals.
Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
Author: Steve Jenkins & Robin Page
Illustrator: Steve Jenkins & Robin Page
Publisher: HMH Books for Young Readers
Publication Date: 2003
ISBN: 9780618256280
This fantasy book is about an orphaned boy, James, living with two nasty aunts. James finds a way to escape his miserable life by climbing in a giant peach that he created after spilling magic crystals he got from a mysterious man on his aunts' peach tree. Once entering the peach he meets what will become his new sense of family; magically overgrown insects: a ladybug,a spider, a grasshoper, a glowworm, a silkwork, and a centipede. They have many adventures that take place in a giant peach like going across the Atlantic Ocean to even a parade in NYC! This book is a wonderful story that never gets old reading!
Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars
Author: Roald Dahl
Illustrator: Quentin Blake
Publisher: Puffin Books
Publication Date: 2000
ISBN: 9780140374247
This fantasy book is about how a boy named Charlie who found a golden ticket in a Willy Wonka Chocolate Bar. There were a total of five golden tickets that let five lucky children into Willy Wonka's famous chocolate factory. The other children are very greedy and spoiled and not kind like Charlie and find themselves having an early exit to the chocolate factory. It is Charlie who remains and Willy Wonka says he is the winner and the whole day was a contest. Charlie's prize is the entire chocolate factory!! This book is great to teach children how it is not good to be greedy and it will only hurt oneself in the long run.
Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
Author: Roald Dahl
Illustrator: Quentin Blake
Publisher: Puffin Books
Publication Date: 1998
ISBN: 9780141301150
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This fantasy children's book is about a girl named Matilda who is a sweet girl that has mean parents that are uninterested in her. She does play tricks on her parents like putting superglue in her Dad's hat, but finds some peace at home because she taught herself to read and loves books. She thought school would be an escape from her mean parents, but there she faces the two hundred pound kid hating headmistress, Miss Trunchbull. When Miss Trunchbull tries to attack Matilda is when Matilda discovers she has powers and can move things! Matilda also befriended her teacher Miss Honey. Matilda uses her powers to defeat Miss Trunchbull and her parents decide to move away and Matilda was able to convince her parents to let her stay with Miss Honey. This book helps to show the importance of education and when one puts their mind to it they can accomplish anything.
Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
Author: Roald Dahl
Illustrator: Quentin Blake
Publisher: Puffin Books
Publication Date: 1998
ISBN: 9780141301068
This realistic fiction book won a Caldecott Honor! It is about how one day at a family picnic a stray dog appeared. The little boy and girl play with the dog all day and name him Willie. They leave without Willie, but think about him all week. They go back Saturday to see Willie again but he is getting chased by the dog catcher! The little boy and girl chase after Willie and claim the dog as their own. Then Willie lived happily ever after with the family.
Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars
Author: Marc Simont
Illustrator: Marc Simont
Publisher: Harper Collins Publishers
Publication Date: 2001
ISBN: 9780060289331
This realistic fiction book is about a girl named Iris who went to the lake in the Enchanted State Park with her family and dog. The trip is far from smooth though. First their car breaks down and then they got lost but they did eventually make it to the lake. When they get there, there is a NO DOGS ALLOWED sign! Iris's father decided the plan would be that everyone would take turns with the dog in the parking lot until they figured out what to do. Everyone had a blast with the dog, who might have had the most fun! This book was all about problem solving and not everything goes as planned.
Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
Author: Sonia Manzano
Illustrator: Jon J. Muth
Publisher: Atheneum Books for Young Readers
Publication Date: 2004
ISBN: 9780689830884
This realistic fiction book received a Caldecott Honor! This book is about a little boy named David that is yelled at his mom throughout the book to stop doing things such as: running outside naked, playing baseball inside, and many other things. But at the end of the book David's mom gives him a huge hug and tells him how she loves him. This book is relatable to little kids who always find themselves getting into trouble and getting yelled at.
Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
Author: David Shannon
Illustrator: David Shannon
Publisher: The Blue Sky Press
Publication Date: 1998
ISBN: 9780590930024
This traditional literature is about the three little pigs and the big bad wolf. One of the little pigs built a house out of straw. The big bad wolf showed up and huffed and puffed and blew the little pig's house down. The second little pig built a house out of sticks, but when the big bad wolf showed up he huffed and puffed and knocked the house down. The third pig built his house out of bricks and when the big bad wolf showed up he could not huff and puff enough to knock the house down. Now the big bad wolf kept trying to trick the third pig to come out of his house so he could eat him, but the big bad wolf failed and tried going down the chimney to find himself in a cooking pot. The third pig ate ate the wolf for dinner and lived happily ever after.
Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
Author: Paul Galdone
Illustrator: Paul Galdone
Publisher: HMH Books for Young Readers
Publication date: 1998
ISBN: 9780395288139
This traditional literature is about the boy who cried wolf. The shepherd boy became bored one day and thought it would be fun to yell to the townspeople that a wolf was after his sheep. All the townspeople came running as fast as they could but no wolf was in sight. The next day the shepherd was bored and cried wolf again but no wolf was in sight. The next day the boy started to hear three wolves and once they appeared he cried wolf again, but this time the townspeople did not believe him and did not help.This book helps to show the importance of telling the truth and being trustworthy.
Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
Author: B. G. Hennessy
Illustrator: Boris Kulikov
Publisher: Simon and Schuster Books for Young Readers
Publication Date: 2006
ISBN: 9780689874338
This traditional literature is the story of the ugly duckling. The ugly duckling is about a duck that looks and sounds different than its siblings. Mother duck still loves the ugly duckling even though it is different. As the ugly duckling grew up it realized it was not a duck and in fact was a swan!! The swan was now happy with itself once it found out who it truly was.This book is perfect for teaching kids about belonging and finding oneself.
Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars
Author: Sebastien Braun
Illustrator: Sebastien Braun
Publisher: Boxer Books
Publication Date: 2010
ISBN: 9781907152047
