THE MAP TRAP by Andrew Clements

Alton is a map fanatic. He makes maps of the usual stuff like directions and where things are located. But he also makes secret maps - like who the popular kids are or what food in the cafeteria makes people sick. When Alton's secret maps go missing and are held for ransom, Alton better act quickly before the secret maps go public and ruin everything.

If you accept the definition of "geek" as someone who is passionate about something cool and smart, this is a "geek" story. The map things are very cool and I loved reading about Alton and his passion. I even learned about geocaching, something I think my students would find cool. This is a great school story about friendship, social behavior. The solution to Alton's problem was great, too.

4 out of 5 stars
AR Reading level of 5.3

BIG NATE: THE CROWD GOES WILD! by Lincoln Peirce

While I always buy these books for my son and for the school library, I have never read one until now. I was pleasantly surprised. There were several laugh-out-loud moments in this collection of comic strips about: playing catch with his dad, tests and studying with Francis, family fun with Uncle Ted, teachers at school, Book Buddies, girls, baseball, and summer break. We will definitely be adding this to our collects both at home and at school

4 out of 5 stars
No AR reading level at the time of this writing

* I received an electronic copy of this book from the publisher for free in the hope that I would review it honestly on my blog. Regardless, I only review books I enjoyed. I don’t believe in passing on negative reviews. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.

CINDERELLA STAYS LATE by Joan Holub and Suzanne Williams

Cinderella is the new student at The Grimm Academy. She connects with Red, Snow and Rapunzel, and they become great friends. The step-sisters are there, too, looking to cause as much trouble for Cinda as they can. Someone else is trying to cause trouble at the school, too. Can Cinda and her friends figure out what is really going on at The Grimm Academy?

This was excellent! This would be perfect for readers who already enjoy the Whatever After series and fans of the Ever After High book, Storybook of Legends. The characters are likable. The fairy tale elements aren't cheesy - something I worry about when I start a book like this. The world-building is fantastic; I especially loved the magical library. Some issues are left unresolved for book two, and I personally can't wait to read it. I told my students about this book when we previewed some of the books that will be coming in our Scholastic book fair later this month. I predict this will be one of my best sellers - and I'll be the first in line to buy it because my nieces are going to love this one. Photos of the next two books are shown below.

5 out of 5 stars
No AR reading level at this time. Books one and two release on March 25th, but may be available through Scholastic sooner. Book three is scheduled to release in June 2014.

* I received an electronic copy of this book from the publisher for free in the hope that I would review it honestly on my blog. Regardless, I only review books I enjoyed. I don’t believe in passing on negative reviews. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.

      

DON'T EVEN THINK ABOUT IT by Sarah Mlynowski

A group of high school students receive the flu vaccine at school and within 24 hours they can hear other people's thoughts. This seems cool at first until they start to hear things they never wanted to know. Cheated on your boyfriend? Now everyone knows - including him. Parents considering a divorce? Now you know all the reasons. Your best friend might encourage you to your face, but what does she really say about you to herself? There are no secrets when your thoughts are laid bare to a couple dozen other people you spend every day with at school.

This is a great concept and it is well executed. We all have those thoughts we work to keep on the inside. But these kids can't shield their thoughts from one another anymore. This makes for some funny and awkward moments for everyone. Sarah Mlynowski is the author of the fabulous Whatever After series that my students adore. This book is definitely for a much older crowd than the fans she has at my school. There's some language and frequent innuendo, making this a better fit for older readers.

4 out of 5 stars

This book releases tomorrow, March 11, 2014.

* I received an electronic copy of this book from the publisher for free in the hope that I would review it honestly on my blog. Regardless, I only review books I enjoyed. I don’t believe in passing on negative reviews. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising. 

CINDERELLA SMITH: THE SUPER SECRET MYSTERY by Stephanie Barden

There are several secrets and mysteries in this story - the "Group in Cahoots" is trying to keep their endangered animal report a secret. There's the mystery of the missing library books, the mysterious note Cinderella receives - and the mystery of where Cinderella's new blue ballet flat is!

Another cute Cinderella Smith story - you can see the reviews of the others here. This story has a nice family, reasonable antics for elementary students, social squabbles and misunderstandings that feel authentic to the situation. The endangered animals research reports anchor the story. This could be a great classroom read-aloud and a chance to talk about the social and educational aspects of the story.

ASKING FOR TROUBLE by Sandra Byrd

Savvy Smith is a high school student transplanted by her family's move from the States to London, England. The whole family is struggling to find their place in this new community, especially Savvy who can't find a club where she fits or a group of friends to spend time with. Savvy knows that she belongs on the newspaper staff (something she would have been doing if she had stayed in the US at her old school), but she has no experience and the editor isn't looking to train anyone. As Savvy tries to find her place and sort out her faith in the face of her struggles, she gets a brilliant idea to get her foot in the door at the paper.

I struggle to find Christian fiction that I think will appeal to my students that also has an AR quiz so they can read it for credit at school This book covers both. I enjoyed Savvy's story - her faith struggles feel genuine as do her school and social struggles. I like the fact that her idea - and advice column for the paper - ties into the things she is learning in her faith. I think my students will enjoy this one.

4 out of 5 stars
AR reading level of 4.5

TREASURE FEVER! by Andy Griffiths

A crazy substitute, teaching kids how to breathe, fall out of windows, smell bananas, skid on banana peels - and find buried treasure are at the core of this funny school story. First in a series

This is just the sort of book I am always looking for - a funny school story that will hold the interest of a variety of students, from good readers to the kids who would rather do anything than sit still long enough to read a book. The kids and the adults are all quirky, with names that reflect their personalities. I think this will appeal to fans of My Weird School as well as kids who want a light, funny adventure story.

4 out of 5 stars
AR Reading Level of 4.0

The other books in the series are pictured below:
      

CHAPTER BOOK: Mr. Terupt Falls Again by Rob Buyea

Mr Terupt and his students are back for their sixth grade year together after the eventful school year chronicled in Because of Mr. Terupt. This time there isn't one event the whole story is moving toward and recovering from, but a series of growth opportunities for each of the students. Lexi falls in with a rough crowd of older kids, Danielle's family is struggling with something but no one will tell her what's going on, and Peter thinks maybe he should fail 6th grade so he doesn't have to move on to a private school next year and leave his friends behind. Luke decides to spend the year as a detective, looking for clues and for an interpretation for those clues (like, why is Mr. Terupt stuttering and stumbling sometimes?). Jeffrey discovers a baby abandoned at the side of the road, and the experience effects him deeply. And Anna decides she wants to know the story about her father. And it wouldn't be a school year with Mr. Terupt if there weren't some awesome projects to stretch his students in new ways.

This was a delightful read. Since I read the two stories pretty close to one another, I was able to really see how each of the students wrestled with their problems, grew from them, and matured. I loved the way the kids interacted with one another and how their teachers guided them through the events of the year. I can't say enough good things about the two Mr. Terupt books!

5 out of 5 stars

AR level of 4.5

Recommended for: Fans of the first book in the series, students in 4th grade and up

Cautions: One student is exposed to alcohol and tries smoking, one of the girls in the story stuffs her bra, trying to get the attention of some boys, and two of the girls get their periods for the first time. I thought the author handled these in a really great way, but younger readers might be puzzled or need additional conversation about these parts of the story. 

CHAPTER BOOK: Because of Mr. Terupt by Rob Buyea

Mr. Terupt is the rookie teacher for a group of fifth graders including the class clown, the genius, the kid who hates school, the mean girl, the new girl, the fat girl, and the outsider. These seven students share the story of their school year together with Mr. Terupt - their struggles, their triumphs, the times the grow, the times they fail, and the accident that changes things for all of them.

I loved this story! I loved how all the kids got to tell the story (in a sentence or in a couple pages) from their point of view. I loved seeing the why behind the behavior some of them exhibit at school and even more the change that happens to them as a group over the course of the year. This book is a winner! I am looking forward to reading the sequel, Mr. Terupt Falls Again.

AR Reading level of 3.7 (although the content works better for older elementary students)
5 out of 5 stars (I couldn't stop thinking about this one after I finished the story)

Recommended for: readers 4th grade and up, fans of stories with an emotional component like Eight Keys or Love, Aubrey, although this one might appeal to boys more than those two examples since the main characters are a mixture of boys and girls.

EARLY READER: Tony Baloney - School Rules by Pam Munoz Ryan

I apologize for the crummy picture of this great book - I could not find a listing for this book at Barnes and Noble's website or on Amazon for some reason. This was a Book Fair book for my school this fall, and it's a great one! It's Tony's first day of school and it's not turning out at ALL like his big sister's stories of her first day. Tony's not the line leader and he's even gotten into trouble for not following all of his teacher's rules. Will anything go right for Tony on his first day?

This is a sweet, honest and fun story. I think it would be a great addition to a Kindergarten library (although the reading level might be closer to 2nd grade) or even first grade since it deals with the nervousness of starting school. I am eager to get this one cataloged and on my library shelves because I know my students are going to enjoy it!

4.5 out of 5 stars
No AR rating at this time

TUESDAY: The Secret Life of Ms. Finkleman

Summary
Mr. Melville assigns one of his quirky "projects" in social studies, and Bethesda Fielding decides that she wants to know the real story about their music teacher, Ms. Finkleman. But what Bethesda discovers turns the whole school upside down - and she doesn't even discover the whole story!


Review
I feel like I got a bonus with this book. The original "mystery" about Ms. Finkleman is just the appetizer for a larger story that's a lot of fun. My favorite scene is when one of the secondary characters evolves by trying something out of the ordinary and discovering he loves it. He learns something about himself and embraces it - and I cheered! There's a "School of Rock" element to the story which is a lot of fun, too.


4 out of 5 stars


Recommended for: middle grade readers (3rd through 6th grade), classroom and school libraries, readers who like mysteries and music in their books
[AR Level 5.8]


Cautions: none.

TUESDAY: Mysterious Case of the Allbright Academy

Franny's younger sister, Zoe, has been recommended for the prestigious Allbright Academy. She refuses to go without her twin brother, JD and big sister, Franny. While Franny feels out of place around the perfect, attractive, genius students at Allbright, she is surprised to discover her own gifts. Over time, she becomes so accustomed to life at Allbright, her parents and best friend back home seem stupid and unrefined, and she is surprised she never noticed before.

Then something happens that shatters the perfect illusions at Allbright. Can Franny and her friends bring the truth out into the open? Do they want to?

I loved this book - loved it! I enjoyed the characters, I enjoyed the mystery. If I had to choose only one type of story to read, it would be a toss up between school stories and princess/fairy tale type stories. This is a great school story. Check it out! 

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