Dash by: Kirby Larson

Historical Fiction at is best is what School Library Journal said about Kirby Larson's book Dash and I agree 100%.

Mitsi Kashino has lived with her family in the United States her entire life along with her brother and parents.  Her grandparents had moved to the United States many years before her birth and her grandmother continues to live with her and her family.  As Mitsi returns to school, after Christmas break, in January 1942 not quite a month after the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor she finds everything has changed.  Her friends ignore her and while her teacher treats her the same Mitsi can sense her worry about Mitsi and her family.  Mitsi is unable to make sense of all the changes

Mitsi and her family are forced to leave their home in Washington State and are taken to a Japanese incarceration camp.  Dash, is Mitsi's dog and is unable to go to the camp.  Fortunately, her neighbor, Mrs. Bowker agrees to take care of Dash while Mitsi and her family is gone.  They hope they will not be gone for long because they are American citizens but at this moment in time life is uncertain for anyone of Japanese descent.

Mitsi and her family try their best to adjust to life in camp.  Slowly Mitsi makes a friend and sees some good in their small home and she is happy that her family is together.  Many families were not so lucky.  Mitsi writes to the general that is in charge of the camps asking to have her dog there with her.  She isn't allowed to have Dash with her but Mrs. Bowker writes letters for Dash and collecting the mail is now one of Mitsi's camp highlights.  Mitsi and her family go through changes at the camp.  She worries that her brother is in the wrong crowd and she learns how to be more independent.

I loved reading this book and learning more about the experience of Japanese Americans during WWII.  I think that knowing more about this time in American history is important for us all and learning through historical fiction stories is my favorite way of learning about history.  I am sure many young readers will enjoy this story of Dash, Mitsi, and the rest of her friends and family.

After reading this book spend time with your pet.

Happy Daily Reading!
Deanna

Pax by: Sara Pennypacker

This book has been talked about and reviewed by many.  It sat on my "to be read" pile for awhile.  I just wasn't convinced that everyone loved it.  I was afraid I would be the one who just wouldn't get into a book about a boy and his pet.  Especially a pet fox?  Who has a pet fox??

Well, I finished this book last week and I enjoyed it.  Author Sara Pennypacker's PAX is a book you won't forget and you will want to share it with your friends.

Pax is found as a fox pup by a young boy named Peter.  They are together all the time.  After the death of Peter's mother his dad decides to sign up to go to war.  Peter is to live with his grandfather and Pax will be set free into the wild.  Peter is very upset when his dad makes him trick Pax just outside a forest on their way to Peter's grandfather's home.

Pax was never a fox who lived in the wild.  He anxiously waits for Peter to return but when Peter doesn't return Pax tries to find his way in the wild.  He needs to learn how to hunt, eat, etc...  He befriends other foxes that have a hard time trusting him since he likes humans.  Wild foxes do not trust humans.  Through Pax's eyes we learn what he is learning on how to be on his own as a fox.  When the war comes close to the foxes will they survive?

Peter runs away from his grandfather's home to try to find Pax.  When he injures his foot he finds a farm in the middle of nowhere with a quirky farm woman (Vola) living there.  Vola befriends Peter making him stay with her until his foot heals.  Peter is also learning how to live on his own.  He finds new interests and skills living with Vola.  As we watch Peter grow we also see changes in Vola and how she adapts to her new housemate.  When Peter finally leaves the farm and looks for Pax he is sad to see the war so close to the forest where Pax now lives.  Will they find each other?

Each chapter is told from either Peter's or Pax's viewpoint.  I found this such a great way to get to know both of these characters as well as Vola.  I feel as though I've made three new friends and as they each go their own way I know they are forever changed because they know each other.  This is how we all go through life.  Influencing and helping those we meet along the way.

After reading this book go and try something you've never tried before.

Happy Daily Reading
Deanna

The Real Boy by: Anne Ursu

The Real Boy by Anne Ursu was a book I enjoyed reading and I'm sure you will too.

Oscar, an orphan, has been living with the Barrow Village's magician for a few years.  He spends his days alone working in the basement with herbs for the magician to use.  Oscar likes to be alone, he is unsure how to act around people.  He is very happy working with the plants and talking with his pet cats.  Wolf is the apprentice to the magician and makes Oscar's life miserable.  Oscar does his best to stay away from people, especially Wolf.  When the magician leaves on a trip Wolf decides to explore where he shouldn't and is found dead the next day.  Oscar finds himself alone in the magician's shop and he does his best to meet customer's needs.  When he finds damage to the herb garden in the woods he begins to worry about his future.

Callie is the apprentice for the Barrow Village's healer and she too has been left alone to run the healer's shop.  It isn't a good time for her to be running things because the children of Asteri are becoming ill, something that has never happened before.  Callie comes to the magician's shop to find herbs to help her try to cure some of the children.  When she sees Oscar struggling to run the shop she steps in to help him.  Soon Oscar and Callie are doing all they can together to figure out what has happened to the children and to their home in the woods.

This is a story you will not soon forget.  It has magic, friendship, adventure, etc...I know you will come to love Oscar and cheer for his success.

Happy Daily Reading
Deanna

The Day The Crayons Quit by: Drew Daywalt

Author Drew Daywalt and illustrator Oliver Jeffers have created a book that will be loved in your home as much as it is in my library!

The Day the Crayons Quit is the story of Duncan's crayons.  They are not happy with how they are being used or not used as the case maybe.  Each crayon has written a letter to Duncan telling him why he/she is unhappy and what Duncan can do to help them be happy.  Thankfully green crayon isn't unhappy other than having to listen to yellow and orange crayon argue.  What are they arguing about?  One crayon never gets used.  Can you guess which one?  Be sure to read this book to find out the answers to my questions.  Beware,  peach crayon's letter will have everyone laughing!

This is a great book to learn colors, letter writing and friendship.  I think anyone who reads it or listens to it will love it.

After reading this book get out your crayons and be creative.

Happy Daily Reading
Deanna

Creepy Carrots by: Aaron Reynolds

Jasper the rabbit is experiencing something very strange, carrots are following him everywhere, it is really quite creepy!  Aaron Reynolds has written a very fun read aloud with his book Creepy Carrots!

Why are the carrots from the field following Jasper?  Jasper loves these carrots!  I'm sure Jasper thinks that the carrots should love him too.  So why are they following him?  It is a question with a funny answer.  Be sure to read this book to find out about Jasper and his problem carrots.

My students love this book, it is never on a shelf since they all want to read this themselves.

Enjoy a healthy snack of carrots after reading this book.

Happy Daily Reading
Deanna

Dragons Love Tacos by: Adam Rubin

Adam Rubin has written a very fun story, one you will want to share with any Dragon loving child.  The book Dragons Love Tacos will have your child wanting to have their very own Dragon Taco Party.

Dragons really love their tacos and all kinds of parties.  This means that taco parties are really a big hit with dragons.  There is just one small thing that dragons do not like with their tacos and if they have this, LOOK OUT!  I won't spoil it, you must read to find out what you must never give to a dragon.

Be sure to read this book on a Taco Tuesday kind of day you will love it!

Happy Daily Reading
Deanna

Paul Meets Bernadette by: Rosy Lamb

Rosy Lamb has written and illustrated a delightful story in her book Paul Meets Bernadette.  A story of friendship that will make readers and listeners appreciate their own friends.

Paul is a goldfish who swims around his bowl everyday.  One day Bernadette drops in, literally.  She shows Paul that there is a whole world to see outside of the fishbowl.  Bernadette has some interesting definitions of things like a banana isn't a banana it is a boat!?  You and your children will get the chance to see and talk about how a fish might see the world differently than we do.

This is a great read-aloud that I'm sure all families will enjoy.

After reading this book pretend to be a fish and see the world around you in a different way.

Happy Daily Reading
Deanna

Count the Monkeys by: Mac Barnett

My students and I have enjoyed reading Mac Barnett's book Count the Monkeys.

This is not only a funny story it is also a fun interactive story as well.  You and your children will giggle as you see and read about the variety of animals and people that make counting monkeys hard work! Your children will also enjoy doing the things that the author asks you to do so that you can finally count the monkeys.

I am sure that this will become a favorite book in your home.  Just as it is a favorite at my school.

After reading this book you may have to visit the zoo to count monkeys!

Happy Daily Reading
Deanna

Escape From Mr. Lemoncello's Library by Chris Grabenstein

Chris Grabenstien has written a fantastic book Escape From Mr. Lemoncello's Library.  It will be a favorite of mine forever!  I could not put it down.  Kyle is a 12 year old boy and has never been to a public library.  His city's library burned down 12 years ago and it was never rebuilt.  However, a new one is being built and the construction has been well guarded and covered, nobody knows what to expect.

Kyle and his family love to play games, and not just video games.  They enjoy board games and outside games too, all created by Kyle's hero, Mr. Lemoncello.  Kyle isn't excited about a library, what would he do with books?  When Kyle learns that Mr. Lemoncello is the anonymous donor for the new library he is excited to enter the essay contest where 12 children, all the age of 12, will get to be the first visitors to the library.  Kyle and 11 others are let into the library the night before the grand opening.  They are now locked in and have to solve riddles and play games in order to figure out how to get out of the library.  Will the children work together to escape?  Will friendships be made or broken?  It is an adventure reading about Kyle and the others as they learn what awaits them in the new city library.  It is a mystery as you try to solve the riddles and play the games along with Kyle and friends.  Such a great book!  The most important lesson learned is by Kyle, he learns that a library can be a fun place!

Here is a riddle for you...."Once you learn to do this you will be forever free?"

After reading this book go and explore your own public library.  It is a place full of adventure, mystery, fantasy and education!

Happy Daily Reading
Deanna

PS  Answer to the riddle:  READ

Wildwood by: Colin Meloy

What would you do if your baby brother was kidnapped by crows?  Would you enter the Impassable Wilderness where you last saw the crows?  That is just what Prue does to save her brother, Max.  Author Colin Meloy has written a fun story about another world that is found in the Impassable Wilderness.

Prue, aided by her friend, Curtis find friends and enemies in the Wilderness.  The bandits are working to help the poor while the government is in a mess.  The coyotes are fighting with the exiled queen to regain power.  The birds are living in their own area and when Prue finds the animals of the North Wood are willing to help her find the Mystics and rescue her brother she is thrilled.  However, while Prue is trying to get the right help, Curtis is tricked into helping the Queen.  With the help of a rat Curtis learns that he is on the wrong side.  He makes friends with the bandits who he first believes are the bad guys but with their help he just may be the one who finds and rescues Max.  Or will Prue and the Mystics be the first to find and rescue Max?

This is a great fantasy adventure that will have you turning page after page to find out what will happen next.  There are plot twists you won't be expecting.  I'm sure all upper grade readers will enjoy this book and will want to read the rest in the series.  You will be amazed at all the creatures that are found living in the Impassable Wilderness.  Perhaps you will want to visit one day!

Happy Daily Reading
Deanna

A Dog Called Homeless by: Sarah Lean

Author Sarah Lean has written a very sweet story in her book A Dog Called Homeless.  Cally Fisher's mother passed away one year ago and when Cally tells her family that she can see her mother they don't believe her.  She sees her mother in a variety of places and whenever she does a dog is nearby.  The dog comes to Cally whenever he sees her, the dog is chased away from her school and by her father.  Cally likes the dog and wonders why he shows up when she happens to see her mother.  Once, Cally sees the dog near a homeless man so Cally names the dog Homeless.

Her father, brother and herself are forced to move to a new apartment building where Cally makes friends with a blind boy named Sam.  Cally and Sam spend many afternoons together creating a strong bond of friendship.  Sam believes that Cally has seen her mom and helps her to try to find Homeless the dog.  Through these two children the wounds of losing a mother and wife begin to heal and Homeless finds a home in which he can stay, the home where he should have been all along.

I enjoyed this story it had me near tears a few times and also made me smile.  It is a great story of family and friendship.  Most of all it is a story of being kind at all times.

Happy Daily Reading
Deanna

And the Dish Ran Away with the Spoon by: Janet Stevens and Susan Stevens Crummel

I discovered this book in 2004, it was a nominee in the category of Picture Books for Older Readers for the California Young Reader Medal.  I enjoyed reading this to my students and they loved listening to it.  In fact, this became the winner of the 2004 Picture Books for Older Readers California Young Reader Medal!

And the Dish Ran Away with the Spoon written by Janet Stevens and Susan Stevens Crummel is the story of the nursery rhyme "Hey Diddle Diddle."   One night, the dish and spoon run away and they don't return the next morning.  What will the cat, cow and dog do if they are not back in time for bedtime stories that night?  They quickly begin to search for the dish and the spoon.  They look all over the land visiting Little Boy Blue, the spider at Miss Muffet's home and even the home of the Big Bad Wolf.  Where could the dish and the spoon be?  What has happened to them?  Will the cow ever get to jump over the moon again?  Will the dog laugh? Who will listen to the cat playing her fiddle?

This is such a fun story that I am confident that you and those you share this story with will remember this book for years to come.

Now that you are thinking of Mother Goose, read some of her nursery rhymes and make up your own stories of what might happen if some of the characters become a part of other rhymes.  

Happy Daily Reading
Deanna

Rump the True Story of Rumplestiltskin by Liesl Shurtliff

This is the first novel by Liesl Shurtliff and I loved it!

Rump the True Story of Rumpelstiltskin is about a young boy named Rump.  Rump's mother was very ill when he was born.  She whispered his name to him but everyone else only heard "Rump" before his mother passed away.  Of course, Rump was too young to remember what his mother whispered to him.  The kingdom where Rump lives along with his grandmother, believes that your name is your destiny.  Just think, your destiny is Rump? He is sure there is more to him and to his name than "Rump".  He does not like being teased by everyone in the kingdom (who does?).  His grandmother tells him to stay away from magic but one day he discovers an old spinning wheel and thus, he discovers his magical talent, or a family curse, depending how you view it, turning straw into gold.  As Rump grows, he sets out to find his true destiny and his true name.  He encounters trolls, fairies, a queen, the miller and even a baby.   Rump becomes good friends with Red and her granny.  Red is able to help Rump find happiness and perhaps a new destiny when he learns his entire name.  Rumpelstiltskin learns that big things can grow from small ones.  As he understands his full name, he realizes that not only has his name grown but so has he.  This was a fast paced story with many familiar fairy tale characters who interact in ways that might surprise you.  Given the popularity of the Once Upon a Time TV series, Rumplestilskin is likely a character that children are interested in.  This version of the story presents a very different character than the TV serios.  I think anyone who reads this book will love it as much as I did.

Spend some time reading the original Grimm fairy tales to get to know the characters in this book even better.

Happy Daily Reading
Deanna

Tuesdays at the Castle by Jessica Day George

Tuesdays at the Castle by Jessica Day George is a wonderful story that will appeal to readers who enjoy a fast paced adventure full of magic.

The Castle Glower finds itself bored on most Tuesdays and when the castle is bored it creates a new room, a new turret, a new staircase or it may get rid of a room.  You just never know what will happen on any given Tuesday.  Thankfully, Princess Celie creates maps that show any changes that are made to the castle.  She is the only one in her family that marks the changes made each week.  This is very helpful when word reaches the castle that Celie's oldest brother and her parents have been ambushed and are feared dead.  It is up to Castle Glower and the rest of the family to save their Kingdom.  It is a good thing that Celie knows of all the castle's rooms and just where to go to find what she needs to face a variety of enemies.  Many other kingdoms send their princes to take over the castle and Celie family's kingdom.  During one battle, the seams of the enemies clothes magically come apart causing the clothes to fall off.  This makes not only the reader laugh, but also all those in the battle.  When Princes come to stay at the castle, their rooms become smaller and smaller -- an indication that the castle does not like them.  With the help of her siblings and the Castle Glower, Celie is able to save the day and looks forward to another Tuesday with more changes to her lovely home, Castle Glower.

Do you think you could defend your home?  Is there a room that was in the castle that you would like to have in your own home?  Be sure to talk about this book with your friends and family.  I know you will love it as much as I did and will want your friends to read it too.

Happy Daily Reading
Deanna

Wonder by R.J. Palacio

WOW!  What a great book written by R.J. Palacio.  Wonder is a not-to-be-missed book.  It is a story that will stay with you forever. What makes this story so interesting is that each part is told from a different character's point of view.  It made for great reading to actually see the same situations from a variety of viewpoints.

August Pullman (Auggie) is a ten year old boy who feels ordinary but he is anything but ordinary.  He was born with extreme facial abnormalities and wasn't expected to live for very long.  Because so many children would run away when they saw him, Auggie was home schooled until the fifth grade.  It was the beginning of fifth grade when his parents decided to enroll him in a private school that life really began to change for Auggie.  Before school began, Auggie was able to meet with a few of the students and meet his teacher, Mr. Browne.  Auggie isn't sure about attending school.  His sister gives him advice and encourages Auggie to be a part of the community as well as the school.  Auggie makes a few friends, endures some bullying, and teaches everyone to accept others and themselves.  With all the ups and downs that school offers, Auggie isn't always happy to be there.  But in the end, his participation in school benefits his entire class and his family.

Mr. Browne shares a precept with his class each month.  They learn about it at the first of the month.  At the end of the month, the students write an essay about what they have learned.  A precept, as explained by Mr. Browne, is a rule about really important things.  The September precept is from Dr. Wayne W. Dyer "When given the choice between being right or being kind, choose kind."  I believe this was the theme of the entire book -- be kind because it is the right thing to do.  August creates his own precept "Everyone in the world should get a standing ovation at least once in their life because we all overcommit the world".

After reading this book create, I think it would be fun to create some precepts of your own.  I also encourage you that as you go out into the world, take time to do something good each day.

Happy Daily Reading
Deanna

The Unwanteds by Lisa McMann

I read this book in September of 2012 after meeting the author Lisa McMann at a local bookstore.  Once I read The Unwanteds, it quickly became my new favorite fantasy book.

Alexander and Aaron Stowe are twins who live in the land of Quill.  At the age of 13 the children of Quill are marked as Wanted or Necessary.   Any children that remain after the marking become the Unwanted and are purged from Quill.  Aaron becomes a Wanted but Alexander is purged, sent to what he believes will be his death.  Will the twins ever see each other again?

Alexander and the other Unwanteds board a bus and say goodbye to the life they have always known and head into the unknown. As they exit the bus they have no idea that they are headed to a new land, Artime.  Mr. Today is the leader of the land of Artime and he is unlike anyone Alexander has ever known.  Mr. Today is more like Alexander so he forms a strong friendship with him.  Artime is home to the Unwanteds; those that are free thinkers, those that are artists, and those that are capable of magic.  They learn how to use magic for good while in Artime.  Using some everyday objects in magical ways is just one aspect of the story that kept my interest.  Soon Quill and Artime collide and a war begins.  Who will win?  Will Alexander and Aaron fight together or against each other?  This is just the first in a series of books that are all just as thrilling as the first book.

When you finish reading this book, and the others in the series, use your imagination to find new ways to use everyday objects in your life.

Happy Daily Reading
Deanna

Lisa McMann and me at the release of the second book in the Unwanteds series

Wild Wings by Gill Lewis

 Most books I read just because they appeal to me.  Wild Wings by Gill Lewis is a CA Young Reader nominee for the 2014-15 school year.  I was not sure what to expect from this book as I had never heard of it before.  After reading this book, however, I have a new hero in my life.   His name is Callum.  I am confident that when you finish reading this book, Callum will be your hero as well.

Wild Wings takes place on Callum's family farm in Scotland.  It is there that his friend, Iona, finds a wild male osprey preparing a nest for mating.  Callum and Iona see another wild osprey female (that they name Iris) that finds the male, along with the nest.  Iona and Callum keep this a secret and watch the nest each day, witnessing the birth of a new baby osprey in the process.  Nearby Callum's farm is an osprey reserve.  A worker at the osprey reserve sees Iris flying one day.  He puts a transmitter on Iris so they can keep track of her when she migrates to Africa.  Callum enjoys watching the migration on his computer, looking at all the countries Iris flies over to get to Africa.  One day the signal is lost.  How can Callum help her from so many miles away?  He makes contact via email with Jeneba, a girl in a hospital in Africa.  Callum forms a friendship as the two work together to help Iris.  Over time Callum helps Jeneba too.

After reading this book you may want to find out more about osprey. Wild Wings lists a variety of websites you can search.  Perhaps you can find an animal that is migrating and follow its path.

Happy Daily Reading
Deanna