| Social Issues |  | Cynthia Kadohata (Hardcover) Genre: Fiction; Book Themes: Family, Multicultural "Kira-Kira" by Cynthia Kadohata is a beautifully written fiction novel for young adults. The 2005 Newbery Medal winner tells a moving story from the point of view of Katie, a Japanese American girl, whose family moves to Georgia in the late 1950s. Kira-Kira means glittering in Japanese. Katie loves her elder sister, Lynn. It is Lynn who teaches her to appreciate "Kira-Kira" in daily life. When Lynn falls ill with lymphoma, the family has to struggle like never before. Their parents work extremely long hours in bad working conditions to pay for Lynn's medical bills and their house. But the love and bond between the family members help them through it all. "Kira-Kira" appeals to teens in 8th grade and up. Girls will especially empathize with the main characters of this award-winning book. |
|  | Linda Williams, Megan Lloyd (Paperback) Genre: Fiction - Children's Picture Books; Book Themes: Emotions and Feelings, Halloween "The Little Old Lady Who Was Not Afraid of Anything" by Linda Williams is a great Halloween story although it doesn't have the word Halloween anywhere in the texts. A brave old lady walks home through a dark forest. She comes across two big shoes, a pair of pants, a shirt, two gloves and a hat. Each time, the little old lady tells them she is not afraid of anything. Then after a scary orange pumpkin head appears, the old lady runs all way home. Once at home, she overcomes her fear and finds a happy solution. The items that have tried to scare her become a scarecrow in the little old lady's garden. The picture book makes good use of attention-grabbing sound words, such as "clomp clomp", "shake, shake" and "clap, clap". Megan Lloyd's lively and detailed illustrations show the old lady's emotions and complement the story well. It is a good picture book for read aloud to children in preschool, kindergarten and first grade. |
|  | Lucy Maud Montgomery, Scott McKowen (Hardcover) Genre: Fiction - Realistic Fiction; Book Themes: Family, Friendship "Anne of Green Gables" is a beloved children's classic book by Canadian author Lucy Maud Montgomery, also known as L.M. Montgomery. Main character Anne of Green Gables is a spirited red-haired girl with boundless imagination and love of life. Matthew and Marilla Cuthbert, a brother and sister, own a Prince Edward Island farm house called Green Gables. Orphan girl Anne Shirley is sent to them by mistake, but Anne goes on to win the heart and love of her adopted family. The friendship between Anne and her best friend Diana Barry is also charmingly portrayed. "Anne of Green Gables" is one of the best children's books ever written. Children in 5th grade through 10th grade will enjoy this moving story and sympathize with the ups and downs in Anne's life. This abridged edition of the classic book, part of the "Classic Starts Series", appeals to children in third grade and fourth grade. |
|  | Lois Lenski (Paperback) Genre: Fiction - Historical Fiction; Book Themes: Family, Farm Life, Frontier and Pioneer Life "Strawberry Girl" is a classic children's book by Lois Lenski. In this award-winning historic fiction, a little girl named Birdie helps her family raise strawberries on a frontier farm and earns the title of "Strawberry Girl". Along the way, they have to cope with drought, roaming animals, grass fires and unfriendly neighbors. The chapter book depicts vividly what life was like in the lake region of Florida in the early 1900's. "Strawberry Girl" is a Newbery Medal and ALA Notable Children's Books award winner. |
|  | Judy Blume (Paperback) Genres: Fiction - Humorous Stories, Realistic Fiction; Book Themes: Family, Friendship Superfudge by Judy Blume is a humorous story about families and sibling rivalry and friendship. In this sequel to "Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing", life is changing for 12-year-old Peter and 4-year-old Fudge. They are moving from New York City to Princeton, NJ, and the Hatcher family is having a new baby. Peter is upset that he has to leave his best friend Jimmy Fargo behind. Fudge is still full of antics; Peter doesn't want another sibling like Fudge. After moving to Princeton, Peter makes friends with Alex Santo, a boy who lives across the street. Just as life is looking up, Peter enters sixth grade in the same school Fudge starts kindergarten. Smart, lively and mischievous Fudge attends kindergarten a year early. This chapter book in the genre of realistic fiction is fast-paced, very funny, and has characters that kids can easily relate to. "Superfudge" appeals to children in 4th grade through 7th grade. |
|  | E. L. Konigsburg (Paperback) Genre: Fiction - Realistic Fiction; Book Themes: Friendship, School life "The View from Saturday" written by E.L. Konigsburg is a Newbery Award-winning book in the genre of realistic fiction. E.L. Konigsburg depicts four sixth graders and their middle school teacher on their journey to win an Academic Bowl. Each of the six graders tells stories from his or her point of view. The four children become close friends despite their different personalities. "The View from Saturday" is a good book for kids in middle school. |
|  | Barbara Cohen, Daniel Mark Duffy (Paperback) Genre: Fiction - Historical Fiction; Book Themes: Immigrant Story, Multicultural, School life, Thanksgiving Stories "Molly's Pilgrim" by Barbara Cohen is a touching multicultural historical fiction story. The main character of the chapter book is Molly, a Russian immigrant girl. Molly doesn't feel thankful as the Thanksgiving holiday comes near. Her third grade classmates tease her for her accents and looks. Molly hates going to school. She wants her family to move back to Russia or New York City, where there are more Jewish families. Miss Stickley, Molly's teacher, asks her to make a pilgrim doll out of a clothespin for the Thanksgiving class display. Molly has never heard about Thanksgiving before. When Molly gets home, her mother offers to make the pilgrim doll for her. To Molly's embarrassment, the pilgrim doll doesn't look like a pilgrim; it looks like her mother, a Russian immigrant. Molly's mother explains that she immigrated to the US for freedom of religion, just like pilgrims. "Molly's Pilgrim" appeals to children in second grade and third grade. |
|  | E. B. White, Garth Williams (Paperback) Genre: Fiction - Animal Fantasy; Book Themes: Animals, Insects and Spiders, Friendship, Farm Life "Charlotte's Web" by beloved author E. B. White, with illustrations by Garth Williams, is one of the best children's books ever written. In this Newbery award-winning chapter book, a pig named Wilbur forms a strong friendship with a spider named Charlotte, who also lives on the farm. Charlotte saves the pig's life by spinning words on her web. E. B. White creates a very memorable character in Charlotte. Children in second grade through seventh grade will enjoy this fascinating story and great classic children's book. "Charlotte's Web" is also a good animal fantasy book to read aloud to children. |
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