Maine Student Book Award Round Up 2015

Hello friends, 
Do you want to read some of the books on the Maine Student Book Award with your students, but you have not read enough of them to know what might work for your grade level? Hopefully I can help. 
While I have not read all of the books on the MSBA list, I have read quite a few. As a 4th grade teacher, I read them to see if they would be appropriate and enjoyable for students in my grade or my school. 
Visit here for more information about MSBA.

Here are ten of the books I have read (in no particular order) and my thoughts about each. 
Visit next Friday for ten more. 

Arcady's Goal

by 

Eugene Yelchin

Goodreads Summary

From Newbery Honor-winning author Eugene Yelchin comes another glimpse into Soviet Russia. For twelve-year-old Arcady, soccer is more than just a game. Sent to live in a children's home after his parents are declared enemies of the state, it is a means of survival, securing extra rations, respect, and protection. Ultimately, it proves to be his chance to leave. But in Soviet Russia, second chances are few and far between. Will Arcady seize his opportunity and achieve his goal? Or will he miss his shot?

My Thoughts

I loved Arcady's story! This poor little guys has been in a prison-like camp since he was a baby. I have a copy for my 4th grade class and will recommend it to more experienced readers. While they will likely lack the background knowledge about  Soviet Russia, the story is really about a boy who has not had someone to love him and his difficulty accepting love from his new adoptive father. 

Recommend as an independent read for late 4th-8th grade. 

Read aloud 4-8. 

The Rookie Bookie

by L. John Wertheim and Tobias J. Moskowitz

Goodreads Summary

Using the tips, truths, and stats they explore in their New York Timesbestseller Scorecasting, two dads pack super sports savvy and important math and financial concepts into a fun and heartwarming first novel for kids.

New kid Mitch Sloan wants to fit in, but his nerdy love of statistics and making money isn't winning him any friends in his sports-loving town--until he finds the perfect way to attain instant popularity. But running a football betting ring at school eventually turns sour, and Mitch loses the only real friend he's made. He'll have to win her back by using his brainpower for good and helping the school football team achieve victory--if they'll listen to the advice of a former bookie!

My Thoughts

Let me start by saying that kids will enjoy this book. For me, it was just ok. There is a lot about sports, stats, averages and all that as his gambling ring gets bigger. There is also a lesson in how to treat friends and win back a damaged reputation. Mitch is a funny and smart character who students will enjoy. I will have a copy in my classroom.

Recommended for independent read for grades 4-6. 

Read aloud 3-6. 

Night Sky Dragons

by Mal Peet, Elspeth Graham, Patrick Benson

Goodreads Summary

Yazul loves making kites with his grandfather, but all he truly desires is the approval of his father. Yazul's father, lord of a han along the Silk Road, is a man made stern by loneliness, and Yazul's love of kite-making only seems to elicit disappointment. "Travel and trade are what matters," his father says. But when the han is attacked by bandits, Yazul has an idea. With the help of his grandfather, he might just be able to use his kite-making skills to scare the bandits away and save the han. Will Yazul's courage and cleverness make his father proud?

My Thoughts

While I don't see a lot of kids picking this one up by themselves, I really enjoyed this book. It would make a good read aloud, particularly if you teach about ancient China. While I liked it, it is not high on my list of books to get for my class. 

Recommend for independent read for grades 4-6. 

Read aloud 4-6.

Greenglass House

by Kate Milford

Goodreads Summary

A rambling old inn, a strange map, an attic packed with treasures, squabbling guests, theft, friendship, and an unusual haunting mark this smart middle grade mystery in the tradition of the Mysterious Benedict Society books and Blue Balliet's Chasing Vermeer series.

It's wintertime at Greenglass House. The creaky smuggler's inn is always quiet during this season, and twelve-year-old Milo, the innkeepers' adopted son, plans to spend his holidays relaxing. But on the first icy night of vacation, out of nowhere, the guest bell rings. Then rings again. And again. Soon Milo's home is bursting with odd, secretive guests, each one bearing a strange story that is somehow connected to the rambling old house. As objects go missing and tempers flare, Milo and Meddy, the cook's daughter, must decipher clues and untangle the web of deepening mysteries to discover the truth about Greenglass House-and themselves.

My Thoughts

This book is much more than it seems. Just when you think you know what is happening, something new is added and there is a huge, surprising twist near the end. While I think it may be a bit much for most 4th graders to handle alone, it would make a good read aloud. 

Recommend for independent read for grades 5-8. 

Read aloud 4-8.

Just Jake

by Jake Marcionette

Goodreads Summary
JUST JAKE  introduces readers to sixth-grader Jake, whose life is turned upside down when his family moves from Florida to Maryland, where Jake must adapt to a new school. Jake has always ranked the kids at school in his hand-made, humorous Kid Cards,” and when he arrives at his new school, Jake starts building a new collection, befriending as many people as he can while staying under the radar from the school bully.  But what happens when the school bully decides Jake's next in line for annihilation and his Kid Cards get into the wrong hands?!! 

My Thoughts

This will be a winner for grades 4 and 5! The story is relatable and entertaining. It was actually written by a boy (now a teenager) when he has just 12! Here is some info about the author, Jake Marcionette. I will have a copy in my classroom for sure.

Recommended for independent read for grades 4-6. 

Read aloud-Not a super read aloud due to the diary style of the book.

The Misadventures of the Family Fletcher

by Dana Alison Levy

Goodreads Summary

Meet the Fletchers. Their year will be filled with new schools, old friends, a grouchy neighbor, hungry skunks, leaking ice rinks, school plays, wet cats, and scary tales told in the dark!

There’s Sam, age twelve, who’s mostly interested in soccer, food, and his phone; Jax, age ten, who’s psyched for fourth grade and thinks the new neighbor stinks, and not just because of the skunk; Eli, age ten (but younger than Jax), who’s thrilled to be starting this year at the Pinnacle School, where everyone’s the smart kid; and Frog (not his real name), age six, who wants everyone in kindergarten to save a seat for his invisible cheetah. Also Dad and Papa. 

WARNING: This book contains cat barf, turtle pee, and some really annoying homework assignments.

My Thoughts
The Family Fletcher is a unique family. It consists of two fathers and their adopted sons from different backgrounds. This is a story filled with the ups and downs of many families. It has many humorous parts that students will enjoy, but also contains several difficult moments for the family. 
Recommended as an independent read and read aloud for grades 4-6. 

When Lunch Fights Back: Wickedly Clever Animal Defenses

by Rebecca L Johnson

Goodreads Summary

Meet living things with some of the strangest defenses known to science: termites that blow themselves up to save the colony; fish that produce copious amounts of gooey, slippery slime; lizards that run on water;and more.

My Thoughts

This book is yucky and kids will LOVE it! There are plenty of pictures to accompany the information. I can see kids sitting around it sharing the facts about these gross, but interesting animals.

Recommend for independent read for grades 4-8.

Would be good for close informational reading. 

Zoo at the Edge of the World

by Eric Kahn Gale

Goodreads Summary

Marlin is not slow, or mute; what he is is a stutterer, and that makes it impossible for him to convince people otherwise. What he is also is a Rackham: the youngest son of the world-famous explorer Roland Rackham, who is the owner and proprietor of the Zoo at the Edge of the World, a resort where the well-to-do from all over the world can come to experience the last bit of the wild left in the world at the end of the nineteenth century.

In order to impress a powerful duke who comes to visit the zoo, Marlin's father ventures into the jungle and brings back a mysterious black jaguar, now the only one in captivity. Everyone is terrified of the jaguar, including Marlin—until one night, when the jaguar confers upon him a powerful gift. Soon Marlin finds himself with a difficult choice to make and, finally, something to say. If only he can figure out how to say it.

My Thoughts

Although I really liked it, I don't see many 4th graders being able to pick this one up and read it alone. There are several layers to the story and the text is a bit difficult. However, it is a great story of finding one's "voice". 

Recommend for independent read for grades 5-8. 

Read aloud 4-8.

Under the Egg

by Laura Mars Fitzgerald

Goodreads Summary

When Theodora Tenpenny spills a bottle of rubbing alcohol on her late grandfather’s painting, she discovers what seems to be an old Renaissance masterpiece underneath. That’s great news for Theo, who’s struggling to hang onto her family’s two-hundred-year-old townhouse and support her unstable mother on her grandfather’s legacy of $463. There’s just one problem: Theo’s grandfather was a security guard at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, and she worries the painting may be stolen.

With the help of some unusual new friends, Theo's search for answers takes her all around Manhattan, and introduces her to a side of the city—and her grandfather—that she never knew. To solve the mystery, she'll have to abandon her hard-won self-reliance and build a community, one serendipitous friendship at a time.

 My Thoughts
Under the Egg is a smart mystery/historical fiction book. I liked how Theo discovers more about her family and makes a good friend in the process. There is an interesting turn of events at the end. However, it has more of a middle school feel than a middle grade. 
Recommend for an independent read for grades 6-8.
Read aloud for grades 5-8.

The Luck Uglies

by Paul Durham

Goodreads Summary

The Luck Uglies is the first in a tween fantasy-adventure trilogy brimming with legends come to life, a charming wit, and a fantastic cast of characters-and is imbued throughout with the magic of storytelling.

Strange things are happening in Village Drowning, and a terrifying encounter has Rye O'Chanter convinced that the monstrous, supposedly extinct Bog Noblins have returned. 

Now Rye's only hope is an exiled secret society so notorious its name can't be spoken aloud: the Luck Uglies. As Rye dives into Village Drowning's maze of secrets, rules, and lies, she'll discover the truth behind the village's legends of outlaws and beasts...and that it may take a villain to save them from the monsters.

The first in a series, The Luck Uglies is an altogether irresistible cross of Lloyd Alexander's Chronicles of Prydain, Stefan Bachmann's The Peculiar, and Chris Healy's The Hero's Guide to Saving Your Kingdom, overflowing with adventure, secrets, friendship, and magic.

My Thoughts

I have to admit, the title turned me off a bit, but I ended up liking this book. It has sort of a dystopian feel to it with some fantastical characters thrown in. More advanced 4th graders could read it on their own, but it is probably more of a 5th grade/middle school book. 

Recommended as an independent read for grades 5-8. 

Read aloud for grades 4-8.