2013 | 4thgradereading

Archive for 2013

Down the Rabbit Hole: The Diary of Pringle Rose

Posted on May 12, 2014 by admin Leave a comment

Written by Susan Campbell Bartoletti

This new addition to the Dear America series written by Susan Campbell Bartoletti is a whirlwind of adventure and survival. There is no need for dystopian when we take into account the true stories from our own past.

Pringle Rose is a fourteen girl who has been raised in every comfort in the coal rich city of Scranton, PA in 1871. Her father owns one of the large collieries and is not about to be pushed around by some new labor union threats.

Unfortunately, he and his wife are killed in a tragic carriage accident leaving Pringle and her brother Gideon alone in the world with a greedy uncle and a mean aunt. In order to save her Down Syndrome brother from being institutionalized, Pringle and Gideon run away.

While these two children are made up characters, the struggles between mine owners and mine workers was very real. Bartoletti skillfully tells both sides of the story in very personal ways that will lead to thoughts and discussions about how difficult life was at that time.

The children travel half way across the country on a train by themselves in search of an old family friend. They end up living in Chicago and experience, dramatically the great fire.

It is a masterfully written story that will grip fourth, fifth and sixth grade readers as well as anyone who picks it up. The core curriculum and literacy skills can be met on practically every page as the author’s research is so thorough. She has included the transportation of the time, the medical misunderstandings of Down Syndrome, boarding schools, mine owners, mine labor unions, the Chicago fire and a trust fund that requires a person to be twenty one years old to inherit from parents.

The writing is clear and precise. Included are many actual places and dates. Librarians and teachers will be able to use this text to begin or conclude studies about the coal region, railroads in America or the Chicago fire that brought about serious changes in building codes all across the country.

Title: Down the Rabbit Hole: The Diary of Pringle Rose
Author: Susan Campbell Bartoletti
Publisher: Scholastic, 2013
Reviewer: Elizabeth Swartz
Format: Hardcover, 320 pages
ISBN: 978-0-545-29701-1
Genre: Historical Fiction
Grade level 4 to 7
Extras: Author’s Note, Photographs at the back, Nonfiction Section on Life in America in 1871, recipes from the time

Posted in 2013, Down syndrome, Fiction, History, Mines tagged with fourth grade, literacy skills

Saucy and Bubba

Posted on April 7, 2014 by admin Leave a comment

Written by Darcy Pattison

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Billed as a modern Hansel and Gretel tale, this new novel explores some of the scarier aspects presented in fairy tales. Saucy, age eleven, and brother Bubba, seven, have lost their mother and are being cared for by Krissy, their daddy’s new wife. Daddy is out on the road, driving a big rig and trying to keep the bills paid. Krissy has a drinking problem, which Daddy refuses to see. When Krissy is drunk, Saucy hides. Krissy gets so drunk one night, she threatens to hit Saucy, which is the last straw. Saucy and Bubba board a cross-country bus in order to seek help from their Aunt Vivian. Of course, Bubba insists they leave a trail of white stones for Daddy to follow to them. After a terrifying trip, they arrive at Aunt Vivian’s house, but there’s no Aunt Vivian. Eventually, things get better, but not perfect, as in the real world.

Although written at a third to fourth grade reading level, the subject matter may be for the more mature members of this age group. Saucy’s ability to recognize Krissy’s very adult problems puts her squarely at her stated age of eleven. Also, she has an uncanny ability to keep Bubba safe against all odds on a long bus trip, at home with Krissy, and with a stranger/predator. But Saucy’s struggles are a good model for children who need to trust an adult in order to solve a problem, whether it’s abuse or bullying or another issue. In the scary, modern world, abuse and bullying know no age limits.

Title: Saucy and Bubba
Author: Darcy Pattison
Publisher: Mims House, 2013
Reviewer: Sue Poduska
Format: Hardcover, 156 pages
Genre: Contemporary fairy tale, running away, alcoholism
ISBN: 978-1-62944-008-8
Lexile: 590L

Posted in 2013, Alcoholism, Contemporary, Fairy tale, Family tagged with fourth grade, reading level

From Norvelt to Nowhere

Posted on February 10, 2014 by admin Leave a comment

Written by Jack Gantos

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Get ready for more antics from that Gantos boy, hero to fourth grade boys and girls everywhere. From his Halloween costume that looks like the local serial killer to digging a fallout shelter right into his family’s septic tank, Jack’s misadventures are memorable and hilarious. Miss Volker, Jack’s best friend, becomes the last old lady in Norvelt, courtesy of a series of poisoned Girl Scout cookies. Then Eleanor Roosevelt dies and Jack’s cross country adventure begins. Jack escorts Miss Volker to Mrs. Roosevelt’s grave. They get word of her sister’s death in Florida. With detectives and killers alike following them, they take a zig-zag course in various vehicles, including a hand-painted VW Beetle, a hearse, an amphibious vehicle, and a police motorcycle with a side car. They take a train to Washington, DC and buy a beetle at a Foggy Bottom used car lot. Jack, at age fourteen, drives them to Tennessee and to Florida, with Miss Volker warming her hands in everything from split pea soup to a bucket of coals in the car. Although Jack tends to get all his literary information from Illustrated Classics, there is enough about Moby Dick and Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde to make the references interesting and informative, and to encourage further literary activity. The historical references are also sneakily educational and funny.

The publisher’s website, mackids.com, has a lot of information about the author and his books. The author’s website, http://www.jackgantos.com/, is a good companion guide.

TITLE: From Norvelt to Nowhere
AUTHOR: Jack Gantos
PUBLISHER: Farrar Straus Giroux, 2013
REVIEWER: Sue Poduska
ISBN: 978-0-374-37994-0
FORMAT: Hard cover, 278 pages
GENRE: Historical Fiction, Humor, History

Posted in 2013, Fiction, History, Humor tagged with fourth grade, literary activity

All That’s Missing

Posted on January 7, 2014 by admin Leave a comment

Written by Sarah Sullivan

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In this heartwarming look at a pre-teen’s life, Sullivan asks the questions “What is a home?” and “What is a family?” The answers are satisfying and, at times, surprising.

Eleven-year-old Arlo, an orphan, lives with and gets along well with his maternal grandfather, Poppo. Poppo’s memory is failing from an unnamed form of dementia, and Arlo is trying to hold his family together. He’s heard terrible things about foster care and Poppo refuses to tell him anything about his surviving paternal grandmother, Ida. When Poppo suffers a stroke, Arlo panics and sets off to find his grandmother. Amazingly, he’s able to travel 350 miles and locate a woman he has no memory of. Full of twists and surprises, this is a fun read.

The author does an amazing job of getting inside a young boy’s mind and showing why he takes the steps he does. Many of the other characters are well-developed and believable. Poppo and Ida are lovable. Arlo’s friends, Sam and Maywood, are crazy and loyal. Bernice and Tyrone, who help Arlo on his journey, are the right mix of gullible and incredulous. Mr. Garringer, who tries to take Ida’s house, is delightfully evil. Steamboat the dog is more entertaining and a bigger help than he has any right to be.

Fourth graders and older should be able to follow the story independently and should understand the feelings of wanting to belong while still determining their own destinies. In her Author’s Note, Sullivan lists several resources related to her inspiration for the book, for further reading activities. Both the author’s, http://www.sarahsullivanbooks.com, and the publisher’s website, www.candlewick.com, give further information.

TITLE: All That’s Missing
AUTHOR: Sarah Sullivan
PUBLISHER: Candlewick Press, 2013
REVIEWER: Sue Poduska
ISBN: 978-0-7636-6102-1
FORMAT: Hard cover, 358 pages
GENRE: Contemporary Fiction, Family, Home

Posted in 2013, Contemporary, Family, Fiction, Home tagged with fourth grade readers, reading activities

I Am Harriet Tubman

Posted on January 6, 2014 by admin Leave a comment

Written by Grace Norwich
Illustrated by Ute Simon

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This new addition to the “I Am” biography series allows middle grade readers to discover who Harriet Tubman was on their own. It is filled with realistic pencil drawings, maps, graphs and data boxes telling students about Harriet’s tips for survival, her fights for women’s rights and other helpful information about the times.

The format of this biography works well for educators involved with the common core. Students can find the meaning for words in the glossary, use the index when writing their own reports and check the websites included for further information. It is a quality non-fiction book written in an accessible narrative fashion that students will enjoy reading. They will find themselves deeply imbedded in the story and looking over their shoulders to see if they are being followed.

Teachers or librarians can use this book for read aloud time to introduce students in grade three or grade four to the genre of biography. Literacy skills strengthened include: reading for information, reading an index, using a glossary, reading maps and using picture clues to enhance comprehension.

Title: I Am Harriet Tubman
Author: Grace Norwich
Illustrator: Ute Simon
Publisher: Scholastic, 2013
Reviewer: Elizabeth Swartz
Format: Paperback, 127 pages
ISBN: 978-0-545-48436-7
Genre: Nonfiction, Biography

Posted in 2013, Biography, History, Nonfiction tagged with comrehension, fourth grade, literacy skills, read aloud

Explore Gravity! With 25 Great Projects

Posted on December 30, 2013 by admin Leave a comment

Written by Cindy Blobaum

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Packed with kid-friendly information and complemented with hands-on, minds-on projects, Explore Gravity! With 25 Great Projects is sure to cause young readers on the fourth grade level to stop, think, and experiment with a concept that is so universal it is often ignored.

Play is one of the most powerful teachers, and Explore Gravity! encourages scientific play. The suggested activities are simple (dropping items from different heights) yet fun (creating a marshmallow launcher). The book will inspire children to fiddle with physics, all in the name of fun.

In addition to the emphasis on data collection, inquiry and scientific process skills, teachers will appreciate the wide array of concepts addressed including life science (the impacts of gravity on sprouting plants and the anatomy of the inner ear), space science (black holes and orbits), health (exercises and survival in an avalanche), and of course physical science (simple machines and centripetal force). Those who are working to add informational text to their reading lists may want to consider this book. Parents will like that the activities require only household items, and can be accomplished with minimal adult support. Kids will like the jokes, fun facts (like how many Gs a person experiences in a roller coaster, Formula One Race Car or space ship), and the knowledge which they can apply in everyday life.

Explore Gravity! is listed as appropriate for grades 1-4. While many of the activities in the book are most appropriate for students on the lower end of that range, the reading level is more appropriate for readers on the upper end and beyond that range. Explore Gravity! includes black and white illustrations which either clarify the instructions (for example a labeled diagram of the inner ear) or add humor. Many spreads include a “Words To Know” sidebar with bolded words and definitions. The back matter contains a glossary and index.

TITLE: Explore Gravity! With 25 Great Projects
AUTHOR: Cindy Blobaum
ILLUSTRATOR: Bryan Stone
PUBLISHER: Nomad Press
REVIEWER: Heather L. Montgomery
EDITION: Paperback: 96 p.
ISBN: 978-1619302075
GENRE: Nonfiction, Science

Posted in 2013, Contemporary, Nonfiction, Science tagged with fourth grade level, reading lists

Year of the Jungle: Memories from the Home Front

Posted on November 20, 2013 by admin Leave a comment

Written by Suzanne Collins
Illustrated by James Proimos

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Suzanne Collins knows of what she writes in this story of a little girl whose beloved Daddy is sent away to war for a whole year. It happened to her in 1968 when he was sent to Vietnam.

James Proimos’ illustrations show the wonder and confusion of a small girl and her understanding of the war. All she knows is that daddy is going to a jungle and it is okay because she knows jungles from cartoons. At night she dreams of flying to the jungle with her cat to see daddy.

But how long is a year, really? For a child, it lasts forever. All the holidays come and go, but still daddy is not back. He sends postcards, sometimes. Then he sends a birthday card to the wrong child. The main character begins to understand how bad things must be at a war for a daddy to make such a huge mistake as getting the kids’ birthdays mixed up.

Suzanne shows clearly how the words a neighbor or news broadcaster say can change the child’s view of circumstances. The child becomes scared only when told to by what others around her say and do even when all of Daddy’s post cards are desperately trying to keep her days normal. When he comes home and she is still afraid, he tells that most soldiers do come home and Mommy is always with her. Her cat is a wonderfully stabilizing presence in the book and gives daddy a safe thing to write to her about.

While this is supposedly a storybook for four year olds and older, it is also a story for grown- ups. It will help them to relate to children in clear and helpful ways. Maybe it is mostly for grown-ups to share with children who have a parent, grandparent or other close friend off at war.

The most beautiful line in the book is on the first page and repeated on the last. It also exemplifies the main character. “Even though he always feels afraid, he is really the bravest of all. And that’s what makes him special.”

An important literacy skill that this book would help teach is the difference between reality and fantasy. How is a real jungle different from a cartoon jungle?

It also illustrates the passage of time by using symbols of holidays. “Shamrocks, but no postcards. Colored eggs, no postcards.” Students could think of other symbols that represent particular times of the year. Also, the picture clues in this story are very relevant. Proimos uses the cat illustrations to help delineate the sizes of souvenirs that daddy sends. How big is the doll? Well, in the picture she stands eye to eye with the cat.

The book could be used by middle school teachers and librarians as an introduction or example of writing an autobiography based on an early memory.

This is a very moving and important book on many levels all about waiting and wondering and being okay.

Title: Year of the Jungle: Memories from the Home Front
Author: Suzanne Collins
Illustrator: James Proimos
Publisher: New York: Scholastic Press, 2013
Reviewer: Elizabeth Swartz
Format: Hardcover, 40 pages
ISBN: 978-0-545-42516-2
Genre: realistic fiction/ autobiographical fiction/war fiction

Posted in 2013, Autobiography, Fiction, History, War tagged with fourth grade, literacy skills

The Nearly Honorable League of Pirates: Magic Marks the Spot

Posted on October 7, 2013 by admin Leave a comment

Written by Caroline Carlson
Illustrated by Dave Phillips

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This first book of a new series about pirates is absolutely charming. While the pirates consider themselves very seriously they are far from fearsome.

The story has everything a good pirate tale is expected to contain: grog, swords, treasures, ships, peg legs and eye patches. It even has more than normal with the inclusion of magic, a boarding school and a girl who will only ever and always become a pirate.

Fourth grade readers, fifth grade readers and beyond will enjoy reading this independently while third graders will enjoy hearing it as a read aloud. Many literacy skills can be reinforced in large or small group settings while reading this book, including but not limited to: cause and effect, inference, following clues, use of humor and letter writing skills.

For a more informal enjoyable experience, it would be a great book club choice for friends to share and discuss.

Interspersed in the story are letters of surprising formality and comic use of everyday phrases between pirates, the head mistress of a girls’ finishing school and the main character. There are also supposed clips from the Pirates Guide Book, local newspapers and want ads.

It is a completely enjoyable book. Readers will be looking for the sequel even before they finish this one.

Title: The Nearly Honorable League of Pirates: Magic Marks the Spot
Author: Caroline Carlson
Illustrator: Dave Phillips
Publisher: Harper, 2013
Reviewer: Elizabeth Swartz
Format: Hardcover/344 pgs.
ISBN: 978-0-06-219434-3
Genre: Fantasy

Posted in 2013, Fantasy, Fiction, Humor tagged with fourth grade, literacy skills, read aloud

Darling: Mercy Dog of World War I

Posted on September 27, 2013 by admin Leave a comment

Written by Alison Hart
Illustrated by Michael G. Montgomery

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In this exciting story, written from the dog’s point of view, the fourth grade reader will learn about the life of a canine working at the war’s front line.

Darling lives the good life in England with his human family until World War I interferes. She is an escape artist who spends time digging under fences and worrying the local sheep along with her stray rat terrier friend, Rags. After the man of the house goes to war, the mother is about to send her away as too much trouble and too expensive. The government appeals for dogs to help in the war effort, so she is recruited as a messenger dog. Darling is nearly destroyed when the army discovers she’s not suited to be a messenger. Luckily, her sergeant believes in her and gets her a job as a mercy dog, a job to which she is well-suited. Mercy dogs, sometimes called Red Cross dogs, were sent into the no man’s land of a battlefield to locate wounded soldiers. When she is severely wounded, Darling once again needs a reprieve, as all useless animals were destroyed. And, once again, her sergeant comes to her rescue and gets her declared a war hero. Will she see her family again?

This tale of redemption and loyalty contains a lot of information about how animals are used in war and what the rigors of war are like for soldiers. The reader will also learn a little about World War I and the Belgian campaign. Part of the “Dog Chronicles” series, this volume combines history and love of animals in a unique way. It will hold kids’ attention and increase their reading comprehension. The content is well-researched and contains a table of contents, further facts, map, bibliography, for further reading section, and websites. The author’s website (http://www.alisonhartbooks.com/) and the illustrator’s (http://www.michaelgmontgomery.com/) provide more information about the creative team.

Title: Darling: Mercy Dog of World War I
Author: Alison Hart
Illustrator: Michael G. Montgomery
Publisher: Peachtree Publishers, 2013
Reviewer: Sue Poduska
Format: Hardcover, 163 pages
ISBN: 978-1-56145-705-2
Genre: Fiction, Middle Reader, History, Animals

Posted in 2013, Animals, Fiction, History tagged with comprehension, fourth grade

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