Showing posts with label Realistic Fiction. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Realistic Fiction. Show all posts

Saturday, February 3, 2024

Student Saturday: Rodrick Rules by Jeff Kinney

 




Genre: Middle Grade, Realistic Fiction
Student Reviewer: Kahlen S.

The book Diary a Wimpy Kid Rodrick Rules is a great read by the author Jeff Kinney. This book is a lot about Greg and Rodrick Heffley also Rowley Jefferson and Holly Hills its surrounded a lot in a pool are and middles school the grade Greg, Rowley, and Holly are in. Greg Heffley has a certain personality that most people would call a follower and wants to be like everyone else. But his friend Rowley Jefferson is not and is his own self does not care what other people think. Then there is Rodrick Heffley which he loves rock music and has his own band called loaded diaper.

Going on there is Holly Hills, which Greg has a huge crush on and can never hangout or ever get her number there is always a blockade. I really liked this book and I think most people do. Its more of a comedy comic book lots of illistration. But its simple but good enough to under stand. This would be a good read for someone that can relate to Greg. Or some of the other characters in the book. 

 I really enjoyed this book. I think I am gonna read farther into the series and can't wait to see whats in the other books. Overall this is a great book by the author Jeff Kinney and can't wait to read more of his content.

Saturday, January 27, 2024

Student Saturday: Escaping the Giant Wave by Peg Kehret

 



Genre:  Middle Grade, Realistic Fiction
Student Reviewer: Jillianna H.

Kyle is a thirteen year old boy that had goals to raise his allowance and stop Daren from bullying him. Kyle had always been pushed around and poked by Daren and didn’t like him at all. But when they got stuck together on a family vacation Kyle planned to finish his goal and stop Daren.

Kyle’s dad got awarded the salesman of the year, because of this they got offered a free trip to Oregon. Kyle found out that Daren's parents work for the same company as his and that they would be staying at the same hotel. They had plans to stay at a new hotel in Fisher Beach, but it was unfortunately closed due to construction. So, the family got moved to an older hotel that was closer to the beach. The sign on the beach had a warning that said that the beach is in danger of a tsunami. The family read the direction to go uphill as far as you could once an earthquake happens so you would have a better chance of surviving the tsunami. The next day the parents went on a cruise to celebrate the dad's award and left Kyle and his sister alone at the hotel. An earthquake happens and Kyle makes the decision to go uphill. They ended up at the top of the hill with a couple named Norm and Josie, with their dog pansy.

I thought this was a great book and I was even scared for them while reading. I would recommend this book to anyone who likes suspense and books that will make you feel like you are with the characters.

Saturday, January 6, 2024

Student Saturday: Unschooled by Allan Woodrow

 





Student Reviewer: Mako C.
Genre: Middle Grade, Realistic Fiction


This book was very enjoyable for me, as it wasn't too wordy and kept me interested. The book has 270 pages, and the two main characters are Lilly and George. Lilly and George are best friends in the book. Lilly is described as a happy, go-lucky, energetic girl. While George, on the other hand, is described as very neat and a germaphobe, he is constantly applying hand sanitizer in the book. The time during the book is never clearly stated, but the setting is clearly described; it takes place at Lilly and George’s school; they are in the 5th grade. It also sometimes takes place at Lilly’s and George’s house, but their school is the main setting. 


The main plot of the story is a 5th grade spirit week, where each day is something new and the final day is a field day with games. The 5th grade is split into two teams: the red team and the blue team. Each day the students compete to win that specific day, and the team with the most points at the end of spirit week is awarded a special prize. That prize, however, isn't revealed to the students until the end of the book, which arouses many wacky and weird ideas of what the prizes could possibly be.

This book reminds me of when I was in 5th grade, and we had a spirit week and field days. There weren't any prizes or teams, however. Each day was something new, and Friday was a field day; one of the days was a pajama day, and I wore a monkey onesie. I would recommend this book to anyone who wants a lighthearted, good read. This book is very interesting and has a good plot. It is also really funny at times. I didn’t really have any expectations for this book, because I’ve never read any other book by this author, but if I did have an expectation for this book, it definitely would have exceeded my expectations

Saturday, December 30, 2023

Student Saturday: Tales From a Not-So-Smart Miss- Know-It-All by Rachel Renee Russell

 


Student Reviewer:  Sabrina S.
Genre:  Middle Grade Realistic Fiction

This is a great series and overall a good bookThe author Rachel Renee Russell does an amazing job of making you feel like you're involved with the drama.

The main character, Nikki J. Maxwell, is a teenage girl who has two best friends, Chloe and Zoey, and her biggest enemy Mackenzie, who is a snobby rich girl that thinks she's better than everyone. Her crush, Brandon, is popular and nice but Mackenzie likes him too! Nikki and Makenzie have a big rivalry against each other. They are always trying to outdo one another. In this book, Nikki wants to join a newspaper club for her school, mostly to get closer to Brandon but also for fun. All goes well until her position in the news crew has no action and no one writing messages to it, so she makes it better and gets very well-known across the school. Then comes Brandon's birthday party and Nikki has waited forever to get him his gift but a few problems happen while trying to afford his present. This book is good for anyone who likes high school drama and plot twists. Rachel Renee has written a very good series. 




Friday, December 29, 2023

Rain Falling on Embers by Liana Gardner

 



Genre: Young Adult, Realistic Fiction

Source: I won a copy for LibraryThing Early Reviewers. The opinions expressed here are my own.

Katie McCabe is a rebellious teen. Her father is the town sheriff. She loves him dearly. She lost her mother at a very young age. He is all she has. She and her best friend Tommy accidently set a shed on fire. When she gets home she explains to her father it was an accident. She is made to pay for the damages. Then the next morning she is put on a bus and shipped to her uncle’s house. Her dad tells her it is because he has been sick lately and the doctors want to do some tests. Her beginnings with her uncle and cousins is rocky. She meets  a young man named Logan who seems to have her back even when she is trying to sabotage herself.  When her father dies and they pack up her former house and move her into her uncle’s house permanently she really rebels.  She has convinced herself that they have taken her in out of obligation and not out of love. What will it take to prove her wrong?  What happens when she makes enemies with someone who believes  they are powerful because of their family name? What will it take to survive?

I read this book in just a few hours. It is one of the best books I have read in a long time. I have read other books by this author and highly recommend this book and all her others.  I will tell you that you will need a box of tissues all through this book.

Monday, November 27, 2023

Son of the Sea by Andrew E. Kaufman


Genre: Adult, Realistic Fiction
Source: I purchased a copy

Let me start off by saying, "wow!"  This was such an emotional rollercoaster ride for me.  The author has developed the character's so well that anyone can identify with them. His main character Griffin is carrying around a lot of baggage. We see Griffin and his father together at a fair. They are celebrating his birthday, while his mom and twin sister are out celebrating hers.  We are shown a loving father who loves his son, until the mother dies.  This father, a lawyer by day, becomes a monster by night, spewing his anger our on his son. Fast forward many years and we see grown up Griffin. He works out and runs to excess when he is stressed, which seems to be all the time. The woman he loves tries to help but has her own baggage. All of his actions are pushing her away. Then the unthinkable happens. Griffin is in an accident and the person who hit him is his estranged father. Old feelings return and threaten to destroy him. Griffin learns his father has Alzheimer's.  You will just have to read the book to find out what happens.  The turmoil in his life is one so many go through. Whether you have been through anything like this or not it puts fresh eyes on relationships and I would recommend it to everyone.

 

Saturday, November 11, 2023

Student Saturday: Breakout by Kate Messner

 


Genre: Middle Grade, Realistic Fiction
Student Reviewer:  Lam T.

Breakout is a cool book for middle school kids like me. This is because it tells a story in a different way, like with letters, text messages, and things so it's not just words on a page. The story is about a prison break in a small town and how it affects everyone there.

The three main characters are called Nora, Lizzie, and Elidee, and we get to see what they think and feel with bubbles. It feels like you're right there with them. The book also talks about important things like being kind to others and standing up for what's right. It's a good book for school discussions.

So, if you want a book that's easy to read and makes you think about being a good person, Breakout is a good choice since it reminds us how important it is to be kind and help each other when things get tough, also the book is based on a true story so it’s not just fake.


Saturday, October 28, 2023

Student Saturday: Up From the Sea by Leza Lowitz

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Genre: Realistic Fiction
Student Reviewer: Aliyah S.

This story takes place in a small town in Honshu Japan. In this town lives a biracial teen named Kai with his mother and grandparents.His best friend in the story is Keiko,a girl in the town his age.Kai’s father lives in New York and Kai hasn’t heard from him in years.

In the story a tsunami hits Kai’s town and you follow the characters through the recovery of the town. After the tsunami Kai is offered a trip to New York to talk to kids who’s lives were changed by 9/11 and while he is in New York he also attempts to find his father.Kai returns from New York to help rebuild his town and encourage others in the town.

I would recommend this book to anyone who likes the poetry set up of the book and likes an inspiring story. I thought the book was very inspiring because Kai could make good of a devastating situation and keeps hope throughout the book.

Saturday, September 30, 2023

Student Saturday: The Summer I Turned Pretty by Jenny Han

 



Student Reviewer – Madison

Genre: Young Adult, Realistic Fiction

The book “The Summer I Turned Pretty” is about a girl named Betty and her mom and brother, Lauel and Steven. They go to cousins Beach every summer with their family friends, Jeremiah and Conrad. Belly has liked Conrad since she  was little but this summer was different for her with many plot twists. Belly has always been the girl that hasn’t really grown up yet, until this summer when “everything changed”. This book is really good for anybody above the age of twelve who likes to read about teenage life. Jenny Han wrote this book very well and I really recommend reading it.


Monday, September 25, 2023

Easy Target by Tim Shoemaker


Genre: Young Adult, Christian, Realistic Fiction
Source: I own a copy

There is nothing better in my opinion than a book with a great story line that also promotes Christianity.

Tim Shoemaker is a master at crafting such books.  The characters are always relatable.  As a teacher I have seen many homeschooled kids begin regular middle school. For many it is not much of a social jump as they attend church or other activities that have them fitting in socially. Then we have those who have been out of the loop socially and struggle with going to a regular school.

Hudson Sutton is one of the first types of kids. He was homeschooled, raised as a Christian and adjusted fairly well in the school. That is until the bullying starts. He tries to protect his new friends from the bullying going on.  He comes up with a wonderful plan only to realize that he himself has become a bully. Since he is so open about his faith he is like many teens who think they are doing the right thing, only to discover that what they are actually doing is not what God would have us do.  One thing that kept going through my mind was the scripture, “Vengeance is mine, saith the Lord, I will repay.”  I guess a part of me remembers a time that I was so fed up with something that I thought I could help handle it. I then discovered that I had become a part of the same bad decisions. I justified my actions “because I prayed about it.”  There is a difference between praying and actually listening to what God is trying to tell us.  

All of the characters are well developed.  The setting was nicely done. The messages are clear. It is great that Hudson wanted to help his friends with the bullying issue. How far is too far? What happens when the bullied become the bullies?  A great question to end on and a recommendation to read this book. It is so worth is.


 

Sunday, June 11, 2023

Shelve Under C: A Tale of Used Books and Cats by Jenny Kalahar

 


Genre:  Middle Grade, Young Adult, Adult, Realistic Fiction
Source:  I own a copy

This is a wonderful book. I love cats and books and thought, why not.?  Mr. and Mr. O'Malley own and run a used bookstore. They buy and sell used books. With no children of their own they welcome orphaned cats into their bookstore. These aren't just any cat's. They work with the local animal shelter and foster cats where they would have a great chance of interacting with the public and then become adopted. This bookstore has two cats ready for adoption. Stomper who reminded me in personality of Garfield.  He was grumpy, wanted to be left alone and learned how to steal food from the small fridge inn the front room.  Buglit is the most recent addition. She had belonged to an older lady who had passed away. She hated the shelter. When brought to the shelter, she felt a connection to Mrs. O'Malley. Both cats have their own personality.  There are a variety of humans who play a big part in this book as well. You have the man who owns the music store down the street. There is young Kris who loves spending time in the bookstore. His love of books is obvious. It seems to go beyond the normal love of reading. He and Mr. O'Malley become very close. Like Buglit and Stomper he is a foster kid. Read this book to see how the three of them, Stomper, Buglit, and Stomper help each other through the ups and downs of everyday life.

Thursday, June 8, 2023

Run Girl Run by Ellen Y. Mueller

 


Genre:  Young Adult, Realistic Fiction

Source: I won a copy from LibraryThing. The opinions expressed here are my own.

 

This is a wonderful yet heart wrenching story. Tracie is a sixteen-year-old girl who wants nothing more than to survive another day without her father beating her.  After escaping her father’s wrath she meets up with her friend. He lets her stay with him. She learns he has some of his own issues. When he suggests they pack up  and he takes her out of state to his mom’s place, she learns just how messed up he is. She has exchanged one bad situation for another. 

This is a story about beating the odds. Tracie learns how much strength she really has and learns she must find a way back home. But, how do you define home? Why is she unable to contact her mom? As I read this emotional roller coaster of a read I kept thinking about students I have had over the years. How many of them were like Tracie and hid it well? Where were the people they knew that could have helped them. I then wondered, how far are most people willing to go to help those they don’t’ know real well? Who are the heroes who will help save a life or turn it around.  Definitely a book I would love to have on my shelves at school if allowed. However, I will definitely recommend it, especially to the counsellors at school to have in their arsenal to help kids.


Saturday, May 6, 2023

Student Saturday: Alone by Megan E. Freeman

 



 


Student Reviewer:  Alicia M.
Genre:  Middle Grade, Realistic Fiction

     Maddie was a 12-year-old girl. She was normal and had a great relationship with her stepparents and her parents. She adored her siblings. Everything was fine, her routine was the same, her friendships were good. She lived in a town called Millerville.

    Unfortunately, something occurred causing everyone to evacuate. Maddie planned something with her best friends, but they couldn’t go. While Maddie was at her grandparents alone, everyone left without informing her. Maddie was left to take care of herself and thrive through major weather and disasters. In the end of evacuation, Maddie sought shelter at her mother's house and noticed her neighbor’s dog, George, was left behind unattended. She took him with her as a friend and for protection. They went through different obstacles together. At the end, something unexpected came. She finally reached her successful conclusion after 3 years of surviving alone.

    I didn’t expect to like this book a lot because of how thick the booked looks but it’s interesting. I recommend this book to anyone who feels discouraged when they feel alone. This book made me surprised when I read the big events that occurred. I really enjoyed reading this and I will be more than happy to read this again.

Thursday, April 20, 2023

Stoneway by Christopher Francis

 




Genre: Middle Grade, Young Adult, Supernatural, Realistic Fiction
Source: Purchased

For the first time reading a book by Christopher Francis, I found myself crying. This was probably one of my favorites of all of his books. Maybe it is because I am a teacher and see the effects of bullying at school. This last year was particularly hard on a couple of students. I tried really hard to be there for some of them. It is one thing to have a teacher in your corner and another to have true friends stand up for you. That is what this book is truly about. Yes there is a ghost in this story. He is there because his ties the bullied to the bully. He makes an appearance to get help. This is not a ghost story. I have read reviews about this book that thought the "ghost story" was lacking. Because a ghost appears it doesn't mean it is a scary ghost story.


The author did a great job of keeping the story flowing and letting us see how the characters changed over time. Does everyone change? No, just like in real life not everyone changes. I read this as an ebook. I have since purchased it for my classroom. That is how good I feel this book and its message is. Well don Mr. Francis, Well done!

Saturday, April 1, 2023

Student Saturday: To All The Boys I've Loved Before by Jenny Han

 


Student Reviewer: Andrea J
Genre: Middle Grade, Young Adult, Realistic Fiction

Jean, a young girl has loved lots of people. I'm not going to lie. She reminds me of myself. There's one part of the book where she wrote notes to the boys. One of the lines was "I miss you. It's only been five days, but I miss you like it's been five years."
I know I might be young and all but boys are dumb. I've only dated two people and I haven been able to get over one. Then we stopped talking. I felt like one week of talking felt like a month and the month kept getting longer and longer. I think this is important ot the book because there coul dbe lots of girls out there that felt the same way so this book is a great example o to show how Lara Jean dealt with it.

Sunday, March 26, 2023

Before You Go by James Preller

 


Genre:  Young Adult, Realistic Fiction
Source:  I purchased a copy

This is the third book I’ve read this week that had a drowning in it. This is another story where the sibling feels the drowning is his fault and where the parents deal with grief in different ways. Jude’s dad jogs to try to forget and his mom self-medicates.  At the end of the school year Jude gets a job and meets Becca. She is easy to talk to and so he shares his grief with her.  Then he is hit with another tragedy when he loses a close friend in a car accident.  Once again this is a story about dealing with grief. So many times people shut themselves up to grief. This story is divided into two parts: Before and After. I felt like the second half was better, stronger than the first half. Would I recommend this to my students? You bet. Can they get it from my shelves? No. This is another one that had to be pulled due to district guidelines.  I still recommend it.


Saturday, March 25, 2023

Student Saturday: My Cousin's Keeper by Simon French

 


Sttudent Reviewer: Humberto G.

Genre: Middle Grade, Realistic Fiction

The characters in "My cousin's Keeper" are Benn,Kieran, Renee, and Gina The setting takes place at his home and school.

Kieran, and Ben are related. At the start of the school year a boy shows up, which is Kieran ' cousin he doesn't know. Ben is in a really bad conditiona at home and at school. There are people at school who bully him. Kieran wants to be in a popular group with teh popular kids. When seh found out that they were relatedhe feels embarassed because of the way Ben looks. At home Ben has a mom who doesn't take good care of him. Ben has long braids, a babyish hat, and has a funny voice. Ben has an only friend which is Julia who likes Kieran.

Things I would do in this situation would be stand up for family. As we know Kieran and Ben are relatives and Kieran feels embarrassed to be Ben's cousin. Kieran lets people bully his cousin. I I was in this situation I would stand up and not be embarrassed over family and the way they look. This story has a big meaning to it and would recommend it to people who dealt with this tough time. I would also recommend this book to people who love drama.


Thursday, March 23, 2023

Rain Reign by Ann M. Martin



Genre: Middle Grade, Realistic Fiction
Source: I own this book

I think I am drawn to books with characters who are on the autism spectrum because I have a grandson who is on the spectrum. I have taught many students that fell somewhere on the spectrum and it has been a pleasure. I was even more thrilled to see that I can keep this book on my shelf.  If you don’t know what I am talking about go back and read my posts for January 19 and March 20.

I love the main character in this story. Rose has what I call autism quirks. She loves homophones. If you don’t remember what they are they are words that sound alike but have different spellings and different meaning. An example would be “write/right, or the title rain/reign”.   I have met parent’s like Rose’s dad who don’t understand or want to understand their child’s “condition”. Often they are in denial that their child is different, or they blame someone else for their child’s condition. In Rose’s case she is often left at home while her dad goes out drinking.  Then there is her teacher.  I wanted to scream at her and ask why she was a teacher.  I have loved teaching every autistic child I have had. I have learned so much from them.  Rose has an ally, her Uncle Weldon. He is more like a father to her than her on dad. Of course she has her best friend in the world her dog Rain, who goes missing. Rain was a stray her dad brought home to her. This book is emotional and hard to put down. I would definitely recommend it to my students if for no other reason to help create empathy in them. 

Tuesday, March 21, 2023

Missing Okalee by Laura Ojeda Melchor

 


Genre: Mddle Grade, Realistic Fiction
Source: I received a copy to facilitate my review. The opinions expressed here are my own.


This is one of those stories that will tug at your heart strings. This book is an emotional roller coaster. It deals with death, grief and how each person handles it differently. Phoebe and her sister have a ritual they have secretly performed for years crossing the river. This time things go wrong and Okalee drowns. What happens after that is terrible. Phoebe feels guilty about it. Her mother becomes very depressed. A kid at school spreads rumors about the drowning that push Phoebe deeper into her guilt. We see the toll it takes on her. She stops singing, she doesn’t report the bullying. At some point Phoebe decides to talk to get some help. If this book does nothing else but reach out to a student reading it and teach them that it is okay to talk to someone when they have a problem, then it has done more than provide a good read. We need more books like this in our schools and on our classroom shelves. Unfortunately, this is a book I can recommend to students, but can’t have on my classroom shelves. Our media specialist has not read and approved it and is no where else in out district’s schools. It therefore had to be pulled from my shelves. Don’t think I won’t tell my kids what a wonderful book it is
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Saturday, March 4, 2023

Student Saturday: Seventy Times Seven by Sandra Stiles


Student Reviewer:  Genesis L.

Genre: Young Adult, Realistic Fiction

The main character in this story is Frankie. We see his struggles and what he goes through . This story starts out with seeing how Frankie releases his stress in an unhealthy way. The reason behind it is because he’s having a rough time at school. His math teacher Mr. Fugate is picking on Frankie because he is Hispanic. We see later how far Mr. Fugate will go just to make Frankie suffer. Then a new kid moves to town. Jacob Wingate and his family move to town and meet the Bonitas. They get along great. Jacob has never really had someone to talk to or any real friends because being a pastor’s kid, people tend to distance themselves from him. With Frankie and Tanya it was different. Jacob could be himself. When Mr. Bonita and Mr. Wingate start talking more it gets rough for Frankie and his family. In the past Frankie has had a lot of problems, but no matter what it will always be okay because he will always have his sister Tanya and Jacob.  What will he do when all of a sudden they both go missing?

I would definitely recommend this book to kids who have problems at home or who have strict parents. Frankie and Jacob’s characters are just so relatable. It really shows that teens can be going through something at a young age that they shouldn’t be dealing with at all. I honestly did not expect the book to show such overlooked but real topics. It definitely exceeded my expectations. Overall I rate the book a 10/10 or 5 stars!