Joey Pigza Swallowed the Key by Jack Gantos (Chapter Book)
Joey has a hard time staying on task in school and always gets in trouble with his teacher and the principal. Joey’s mother returned to him after living with his grandmother for so long. His dad left when he was little which led his mom to go after him. When his mom comes back, she reinforces rules and makes Joey take his medicine. Joey is ‘wired’ like his grandmother and his dad. Him and his grandmother have an amazing relationship and his grandmother has a hard time finishing things as well. There was a meeting over the summer to talk about Joey and his behavior. His mother says she will take him to the doctor to get his medication. Mrs. Maxy says as long as he has his meds, she will give him a second chance. Joey’s meds wear off after being calm for a while and cant control himself. She gives him a list of rules but cant follow them. He sharpens his pencil, the chalk and then his finger. Sometimes his medicine works and sometimes it doesn’t. One day, Joey tries to swallow a key with a string around it and pulls it back up his throat. Mrs. Maxy cuts the string and the key is stuck. He went to the nurse where he tried to throw it up but he couldn’t. The school decided he needed to be in a special education room with Mrs. Howard where he sits in the Big Quiet Chair just to see how long his patience is. He kicks the chair and she tells him he will have to wear bunny slippers everytime he does. Joey needs to swallow mineral oil which makes the key come out of him. In his new classroom, he blows out his peer’s birthday candle thinking he was helping him. After school, he forgets his key into his house so he has to wait for his mother to come home and when she does Joey asks her if alcohol drinking was the reason why he is the way he is. Joey says he feels so good when his medicine works and he acts like everyone else. Joey and his class go on a field trip to an Amish farm. He cannot eat the pie because of the sugar and that will make him hyper. He cannot carve pumpkins because there is a knife and they are afraid he is going to go wild with it. He gets upset because the adults think he cant handle anything. He then steals a pie and runs into a field where he eats it. He gets so hyper he runs into a barn and climbs to the top and then jumps down into the hay where he hurts his ankle. He has ADD.
Owl Moon by Jane Yolen (Picture Book)
A little girl and her Pa walk towards the woods while hearing the sounds of trains and dogs through her woolen hat. She had to run after her Pa to keep up with his long shadow but she had to stay quiet because you had to be quiet while owling for her first time. They stopped when they reached the pine trees and looked up to the moon and Pa made the sound of the Great Horned Owl. They heard nothing and her brothers said that sometimes there aren’t owls. They kept walking and was very cold but while owling you have to make your own heat. They went into the dark woods but didn’t ask what was behind the trees because you have to be brave while owling. Pa called again and finally an echo came back and the owl flew onto a branch by them and Pa shown a flashlight on it and they all stared at each other and then it flew away. The two went home but when you go owling you don’t need words or warm or anything but hope under a shining owl moon.
I Can Be Anything by Jerry Spinelli (Picture Book)
A little boy talks about what he can be when he grows up and a rabbit follows him. He wants to be a Pumpkin Grower, Dandelion Blower, Paper-plane Folder , Puppy Dog holder, Puddle Stomper, Apple Chomper, Mixing Bowl Licker, Tin-Can Kicker, Barefooted Hopper, Bubble Gum Popper, Snowball Smoother, Baby-sis Soother, Gift Unwrapper, Jump and Clapper, Cheek-to-Cheek grinner, Dizzy-dance Spinner, Cross-Legged Sitter, Make Believe Critter, Deep-hole Digger, Lemonade Swigger, Honeysuckle Smeller, Silly Joke Teller, Best-part Saver, Good-bye Waver.
In The end he picks everyone.
Ramona the Pest by Beverly Cleary (Chapter Book)
1.Ramona’s Great Day- Ramona Quimbly and her sister Beezus were fighting saying Ramona wasn’t a pest when they were waiting for Mary Jane to walk to school. It was Ramona’s first day of Kindergarten with Beezus, Henry Huggins and the rest of the neighborhood. Mary Jane wanted to take Ramona to school but her mother took her instead and walked with the Kemps. Howie was in her grade and Willa Jean was the baby. Once inside Glenwood School, she met Miss Binney and told her to sit in that seat for the present. She saw Davy and wanted to kiss him and Susan who was a big girl with reddish brown boing boing curls. She didn’t stand for the danzer lee light song and then Miss Binney read Mike Mulligan and His Steam Shovel which was her favorite book, She asked how he went to the bathroom and all the children wanted to know. They went outside to play duck duck goose but she didn’t move and Miss Binney told her Ramona’s mixup about the present. She pulled Susan’s curls and had to sit out and during rest time Susan was the wake up fairy.
2-Show and Tell- Ramona brought her green haired doll named Cheverolet and lent her rabbit to Howie. She went up to the front of the class and everyone laughed at her doll but Miss Binney stood up for her. Howie was given a red ribbon for the rabbit that was Ramonas. Howie and Ramona fought about the ribbon and they agreed if Howie could take the wheel off her tricycle to make a 2 wheeler she could have the ribbon. The bike worked with two wheels and they went inside and ate tuna fish sandwiches.
3. Seat Work- She saw Davy wearing a black cape and he told her he was Mighty Mouse. She then chased him around the playground everyday trying to kiss him. Kindergarten was divided into the running part and seat work where they had to work quietly in their seats. They drew their houses, and then they had to learn how to print her name. Ramona added a Q to her name and turned it into a cat. Davy was having trouble with his D’s and Ramona told him to make it into a robin’s redbrest. But she didn’t want to disappoint her teacher so she erased her cat Q.
4. Substitute- Howie and Ramona walked to school for the first time and they had a substitute so Ramona hid outside but Beezus found her and took her to the principal. Miss Mullen wasn’t mad but she just took her to the substitute Mrs Wilcox where they did seatwork and Ramona drew cat Q’s.
5. Ramona’s Engagement Ring- Ramona was forced to wear Howies old rainboots to school. She picked up a worm on the playground and told everyone it was an engagement ring and did this everyday it was raining. She got new red rainboots and got stuck in the mud. Miss Binney tried to get her out and asked Henry too and he pulled her out and came back to get her boots. She declared she was going to marry him.
6. The Baddest Witch in the World- She was going to be in the Halloween parade this year and wanted to be the baddest witch with a mask. Howie was a cat and Davy was a pirate and kissed him. She was upset because no one know who she was in the mask so she made a name tag and wrote Ramona Q so everyone would know who she was.
7. The Day Things Went Wrong- Ramona had a loose tooth and had to walk to school alone but she arrived late and then her tooth fell out and Miss Binney told her she was brave. She got yelled at for pulling Susan’s hair because she called her a pest so Binney told her she had to go home but she forgot her tooth at school. Mrs Quigley walked Ramona to class the next day to talk to Miss Binney but Ramona did not want to go back so she went shopping all day with her mom, which she hated. Howie brought Ramona a letter from school with her tooth in it and Miss Binney asked when she was coming back. Ramona was happy and decided she was going back tomorrow, but it was Saturday. She invited Howie in for PB&J sandwiches.
Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing by Judy Blume (Chapter Book)
1.The Big Winner- Peter Hatcher won his turtle Dribble at Jimmy’s Fargo’s birthday because he guess how many jelly beans were in a jar. He lives at 25 W 68th Street in NYC on the 12th floor. It has the best elevator with an operator named Henry Bevelheimer. His mother thinks Dribble smells. His father writes TV commercials and wrote one about Juicy-O and the president sent them a whole crate of it. His biggest problem is his half brother Farley Hatcher, or Fudge and he is 2 ½. The only time he likes him is when he is sleeping.
2.Mr. and Mrs. Juicy-O- One night his father told the family that Mr. and Mrs. Yarby (Juicy-O) were coming to NYC from Chicago to stay with them in Fudge’s room so Fudge had to sleep with Peter. Fudge slurps and talks in his sleep. His mother cooked all day while he went to Jimmy Fargo’s. Fudge ate their mothers flowers and called their doctor, Dr. Cone. Mrs. Yarby picked up Fudge like a grandmother does and gave them both a present. Fudge got a train and Peter got a picture dictionary. Fudge brought out Peter’s old dictionary so Fudge kept the new one. Fudge got out of his crib and brought Dribble to the table where the Yarby’s freaked and told them they should teach the kids some manners. Peter woke up and Dribble was on his arm so he smacked Fudge. The Yarby’s left in the morning for a hotel but before they left Fudge put stickers all over their suitcases. His father lost the account.
3.The Family Dog- Now his father could work on his other client, the Toddle Bike. Peter wanted to be on the commercial cuz he could stand on his head because his Gramma taught him. After Peter showed him, Fudge stopped eating. So the only way Fudge would eat is if Peter stood on his head. But Peter didn’t want to do that so for a week, the only way Fudge would eat is if he pretended to be a dog on the floor, a family dog. Then his Gramma came and she took him to three doctors but found nothing wrong with him. His mother made Fudge lamb chops but said that he wanted corn flakes but then wouldn’t eat them. His father took him into the bathroom and poured cereal all over him. The next day Fudge ate everything on his plate.
4.My Brother the Bird- After school, Peter plays in Central Park. But his mother doesn’t want him going there alone because you could get mugged. They live on the west side of the park and to get anywhere you have to walk all the way across the park. One day he went to the park with Jimmy, the only kid on his block who is in his class, besides Sheila. But he doesn’t like Sheila because she always tries to touch him. Sometimes Jimmy and Peter play secret agents by a group of rocks. That day Sheila was there and then Fudge ran there too but he was chasing a bird. Sheila told Mrs. Hatcher she would watch Fudge for 10 minutes. Fudge managed to get on top of the jungle gym saying he was a birdie and jumped and fell. He was bloody all over his face and his two teeth were missing. His mother ran back and told Peter that it was his fault. In the morning, she apologized and said that he just thought he was a bird.
5.The Birthday Bash- Peter wants to call Fudge Fang because he wont get his teeth in until he is 6. Jennie (bites), Ralph(fat) and Sam(cry) were invited to Fudge’s 3rd Superman birthday party. The kids were a disaster and everyone was complaining. Then Peter’s mother read them a book. Fudge got a new bed ad Peter showed Sam and Jennie Dribble and Jennie peed on the floor. Everyone left and his mother took two aspirins and Peter told her that 3 was too young to have a party.
6.Fang Hits Town- Fudge falls out of the bed and they went to the dentist, Dr. Brown who is their father’s friend. Peter cleans Dribble and his bowl and then was asked to help Dr. Brown with Fudge because he wouldn’t open his mouth. Then they went to Bloomingdale’s to get shoes and Mr. Berman helped them. Peter was getting brown loafers and he has a hole in his sock. Fudge didn’t want saddle shoes, he wanted shoes like Peter so they tricked Fudge into getting the saddle shoes because he thought Peter was getting them. Then they went to Hamburger Heaven for Lunch. Fudge was throwing his food everywhere and popped his balloon.
7.The Flying Train Committee- Peter had a project to do in Mrs. Haver’s class on The City. There were different committees and Peter got Transportation with Sheila and Jimmy and they were to make a poster on monorails. Fudge drew all over their poster. Peter got mad and his mother spanked Fudge. Sheila wrote the whole booklet without the boys, but the poster was done. Fudge drew all over his face with markers and was cutting his hair. This is when his father came home with a chain latch for Peter’s door.
8.The TV Star- Peter’s mom left to see Aunt Linda’s new baby for the weekend in Boston. The boys went to work with their dad and met his pretty secretary Janet. Janet showed them around the agency where they saw a bunch of kids trying out for the Toddle-Bike commercial. Mr. Vincent, the president of toddle bike picked Fudge to be the boy in the commercial. Peter’s father said Fudge cant be the boy but Mr. Vincent insisted. When it was time to shoot the commercial, Fudge wouldn’t ride the bike. Janet gave him an Oreo to ride the bike but he still wouldn’t do it. Then Peter had to show Fudge how he was riding the bike and finally Fudge rode the bike.
9.Just Another Rainy Day- All three of them went to see a Bear’s Life at the movies. Fudge started throwing popcorn and then he disappeared. They stopped the movie and had everyone looking for Fudge but he was in the front because he wanted to touch the bears. After, his father made omelets for dinner. The omletes were bad but Fudge liked them and he made them peanut butter sandwiches. Then 6 weeks after his mother came home she saw the commercial and she was so surprised.
10.Dribble!- May 10th started out as an ordinary day but when he came home from school his room was unlocked and Dribble was gone. He asked fudge where Dribble was and he said he ate him. His mother sent an ambulance and they went to the hospital. Dr. Cone showed Peter an x-ray of his turtle inside of Fudge and they had to wait until it came out of Fudge. When it came out, Peter was told he needed a new turtle but instead of getting a turtle, his father came home with a dog and Peter named it Turtle.
When I Was Young in the Mountains by Cynthia Rylant (Picture Book)
Grandfather came home with black dust all over him. Grandmother spread the table with hot corn bread, pinto beans and fried okra. Then she would walk in the dark to the Johnny house with the little girl. When she was young in the mountains she walked through the woods to the swimming hole which was dark and sometimes had snakes. Mr Crawford was where they stopped to get a mound of white butter and smelled of milk. She and her brother would get milk from the wells to heat the water for their baths. The old black stove was where they went for hot cocoa. They went to church in the schoolhouse and people like cousin Peter were baptized in the swimming hole. Heard frogs at night and cowbells in the morning. They would swing on the porch swing at night while Grandfather would sharpen the pencils with a pocketknife. She never wanted to go anywhere else in the world.
Clementine by Sara Pennypacker (Chapter Book)
Clementine is in 3rd grade and gets into a lot of mischief. She cut Margaret’s hair and colored it in with black marker. To make Margaret feel better she cuts her own hair too. She is sent to the principal and picks up the principals phone and talks to people. Her and her dad completed the Great Pigeon War to try to get the Pigeon out of their house. This shows kids a lot of unwritten rules there are that everyone is just supposed to know. She calls her brothers Cabbage, Spinach, Brocolli and Raddish. It reminds me of Ramona and Junie B.
Junie B. Jones and the Stupid Smelly Bus by Barbara Park (Chapter Book)
Its Junies first day of kindergarten and she is so scared to ride the bus because her friends Lucielle and Grace said it smells like egg salad and black smoke and its breaks squeek and have no compartment for Klenex. She does not like her bus driver Mr. Woo. She decides not to ride the bus home and hides in a closet until everyone leaves. She wanders through the halls looking at different supplies and nurse equiptment. She cant get into any bathroom and she needs to go so she calls 911 where her mother meets her and her teacher. Her mother arranges to sit with Grace who is in her class so she cannot miss the bus again.
The Lemonade Club by Patricia Polacco (Picture Book)
Traci and Marilyn are best friends and have Mrs. Wichelman as their fifth grade teacher who makes everyone feel special. At the end of each class she would grab her basket full of lemons and say ‘if life hands you a lemon just add sugar and water and you get lemonade.” One day after school they were picked on by older girls because Marilyn is chubby. But Traci begins to notice Marilyn loosing weight and is diagnosed with leukemia. She has to get chemotherapy which causes her to loose her hair and miss school. The two girls and Miss. Wichelman get together after school and talk about their feelings about cancer, and Miss. Wichelman tells them she has breast cancer. She also says she wants to become a doctor but the cancer has hindered her. The girls tell her that she cant let cancer ruin her dreams. After Marilyn gets chemo, she returns to school finding her class all wearing scarves and hats on their heads like her and then she realized they all shaved their heads. Months later when Marilyns hair is growing back, Miss. Wichelman is still wearing a scarf which confuses the students, but the two girls know why. Five years later, Miss Wichelman gets married and the girls are bridesmaids wearing lemon colored dresses. Miss Wichelman finally becomes a doctor.
Starring Sally J. Freedman as Herself by Judy Blume (Chapter Book)
Sally J. Freedman moves from NJ to Miami with her brother, mother and grandmother after WW2. Her brother Douglas caught nephritis from his wet clothes in the cold weather. While on the train to Miami , Sally meets a black woman and her son and baby daughter. The next day, Sally goes back to their car to visit the black family on the train but they have moved because of the racial segregation laws in the South. Before Sally can go to her new school, she gets physical where the school nurse discovers nits in Sally's hair.
The kids were misbehaving in room 207. No one would listen to Miss Nelson so the next morning Miss Nelson didnt show up. However, Miss Swamp was and she was an evil witch teacher. She put them to work ad gave them homework. They listened because she was scary and mean. Days went by and they decided to look for Miss Nelson. They went to a detective, and then to Miss Nelson's house until they saw Miss Swamp around the corner and ran away. The kids made up silly ideas as to where she was. They thought she was never coming back until one morning, she finally showed up! Everyone had missed her and they finally behaved because they did not want Miss Swamp back. In the end, Miss Swamp really was Miss Nelson to teach the kids a lesson.
On the cold summer mornings, the paperboy gets out of bed with his dog, even though it is warm and his family and the rest of his neighborhood is asleep. They go downstairs and eat out of their bowls and fold the newspapers and stuff it in his large red bag. He sets off on his paper route that he knows by heart and his dog knows also. He thinks about everything, big, small or nothing at all. Little by little the neighborhood wakes up and the sky brightens and gets warmer outside. That is when he crawls back in his bed and falls asleep.
Nana Upstairs, Nana Downstairs By Tomie DePaola
Tommy is four and visits his great grandmother who lives upstairs and his grandmother who lives downstairs. One day, Nana Upstairs dies and his mother tells him that Nana Upstairs wont be there anymore. He struggles with loss and says goodbye to someone he loves. Great book to read to a child who is grieving a loved one.
This book is about the relationship between Tanya and her grandmother. Tanya's grandmother begins making a special quilt from pieces of worn out clothes that have belonged to various family members. Tanya's mother and grandmother spend many evenings working on the quilt. Tanya's grandmother becomes ill, too ill for even Tanya to see her. Tanya worked on the quilt with her mother while her grandmother lay in bed ill. After a couple of months Tanya's grandmother got better and was able to help complete the quilt that she then gave to Tanya as a gift.
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