I sat in the backyard yesterday and read this fun tale of an unusual friendship. Natalie is “perfect” and has a nice, loving family, while Annie is the new “tough” girl who just moved in with her rather uncaring uncle. The girls meet in the first days of summer vacation and give each other secret names, Elvis and Olive, and begin to spy on the neighborhood. At first Annie (Elvis) reminded me a bit of Pippi Longstocking, with her outlandish stories (lies) and absent parents, but she lacks Pippi’s sweet and funny essence. In fact, there were a few times at the beginning of this book where I almost stopped reading, because I wasn’t sure I liked Elvis and what she was getting Olive to do. I’m glad I kept reading, though, because their neighborhood spy mission ended in a very satisfying way, and I thought the author did a very good job of describing a street full of people that I would love to know. For older elementary school girls, this book will make you think about family, friendship, and how to treat people. There’s even a tiny bit of romance!
Archive for the ‘New books 2010 school year’ category
A LONG WALK TO WATER by Linda Sue Park
May 11, 2011Here is a true story for children old enough to handle an intense situation. There are two stories that alternate: Nya, a girl living in Sudan, Africa, must walk 8 hours every day to bring water back to her dry village. Salva is one of Sudan’s “lost boys”: separated from his family by war in the 1990’s, he was forced to travel on foot through hundreds of miles of hostile territory. He survived the desert, animal attacks, a crocodile-filled river, and spent years in refugee camps in Ethiopia and Kenya. His life, which was so full of tragedy, took a hopeful turn when he relocated to New York, attended college, and returned to his home country to establish wells in remote villages that are in desperate need of clean water. And that is where his life intersects with Nya’s. As you are reading the two interwoven stories, you know that they are going to come together, and that is what keeps you reading despite the sadness. This is a powerful book that will touch your heart and inspire you to reach out to others in need.
Blake’s “Secret” poster
February 18, 2011Blake, a fourth grader in Mrs. Jerome’s class, made this picture about a book he’s reading, THE NAME OF THIS BOOK IS SECRET by Pseudonymous Bosch. “I think the whole school should read this book! It’s really a good book! It has a lot of mystery and it is very interesting,” reports Blake. You can find this book and its sequels in the CPS library.