CHAPTER BOOK: The One and Only Ivan by Katherine Applegate

When I read this was the Newberry winner for 2012, I grabbed it off my To-Be-Read shelf and dove in. The story is about Ivan, a gorilla in a "circus" of sorts in a run down mall. Ivan is there with a parrot and an older elephant as well as a stray dog. The animals aren't terribly well cared for by the mall owner, although the custodian and his daughter do what they can. In an effort to save the mall, the owner buys a young elephant to add to his animal collection, and eventually Ivan becomes the one to care for her, telling her stories about his life before the mall and creating art to draw attention to their plight.

I enjoyed the story (but I didn't love it like I thought I would), and I know my students will enjoy it as well. I could see this one making a great read-aloud in a classroom, too. This could lead to great discussion about human responsibility for the care of the animals in the world.

3.5 out of 5 stars
AR reading level of 3.6

TUESDAY: Never Race a Runaway Pumpkin

I have shared my love of Roscoe Riley before, but I wanted to highlight the latest book in the series, pefectly timed for fall.

Roscoe is learning about estimating at school, which comes in handy when he has a chance to win a huge pile of books for his school library (and a huge pile of candy for himself). All he has to do is enter a guess on the weight of the giant pumpkin at the bookstore. The only problem is a little black kitten named No Name. Roscoe is convinced No Name is bad luck. Can he get past his superstition and complete his entry?

I thoroughly enjoyed Roscoe's latest adventure, although I thought his reason for being in time out wasn't as clear cut as in other books in the series. Nevertheless, this is another great adventure with an extra sweet ending.

TUESDAY: Roscoe Riley

What child doesn't love noise? Roscoe even has a collection of noisy stuff! When his friend Emma brings shoes with "built in noise" to school, Roscoe thinks they are brilliant. But once he starts taking tap lessons and agrees to be in the talent show, he starts to wonder if tap dancing is just for girls.... (Roscoe Riley Rules #5: Don't Tap Dance on your Teacher)

We LOVE Roscoe. We love his innocence. We love his honesty and his wonder - and his best intentions, no matter how they go awry. Each story starts with Roscoe in time out for breaking a rule, like "Never glue your friends to chairs." The illustrations are great and really add to the story. Roscoe's stories are for kids 4 to 8 years old.

#6 - Never Walk in Shoes that Talk will be released on June 23
#7 - Never Race a Runaway Pumpkin will be released on August 25