Bink & Gollie

Authors: Kate DiCamillo & Alison McGhee
Illustrator: Tony Fucile

Book Summary: There's Bink: short, messy, laces untied, clothes sometimes matching, hair never combed. Then there's Gollie: Tall, clean, laces tied, clothes always matching, hair mostly combed. These two friends have a lot of differences, but somehow they stay the best of friends. Bink and Gollie, is made up of three short stories. The first follows Bink and Gollie rollerskating into a store where Bink buys colorful striped socks that she loves, but Gollies hates. In the second story, Gollie is on a great imaginary hiking adventure inside her house, while Bink is outside the door trying to get Gollie to let her in. In the third story Bink gets a fish, but Gollie is jealous and afraid the fish will replace her.

Book Review: The Odd Couple for kids; that's how I'd describe Bink and Gollie to parents. The pictures make the book with bright colors and sketches that bring the story alive. The dynamics between Bink and Gollie are depicted with great humor. "The problem with Gollie," said Bink, "is that it's either Gollie's way or the highway. My socks and I have chosen the highway." This book is good, clean fun.

Interest Level: Grades K-2
AR Level: 2.5 (worth .5 pts)
Lexile Level: 310

Profanity:
None

Potentially Inappropriate References:
None

Potentially Inappropriate Behavior:
None

Parental Concern Rating: 0 out of 5

The Mailbox

Author: Audrey Shafer

Book Summary: In The Mailbox, Gabe Pace comes home on his first day of 6th grade to find his Uncle Vernon dead on the floor. Afraid of being sent back to foster care, Gabe does nothing. He goes to school the next day as if nothing has happened, but when he returns home he finds Uncle Vernon's body is gone and a note in the mailbox that says: "I have a secret. Do not be afraid." Next, the mystery letter writer leaves Gabe a dog, named Guppy, a bag of dog food, and another note that says, "I want to help you." In the days that follow, Gabe finds that he can manage pretty well on his own. He takes care of the house, the dog, and gets himself to school. No one suspects a thing. That is, until Uncle Vernon's body is discovered.

Book Review: The Mailbox is a captivating story of survival and mystery. The truth is revealed a little at a time and the story comes to a satisfying end. Some parents may be uncomfortable with the way the Gabe finds his grandfather and that he sleeps next to his grandfather's body the first night. Watered down depictions of  violence during the Vietnam War may concern some parents, as well. Overall, the story is told with realism, but also with thoughtfulness. Nothing in the book is too harsh for readers 12 years and up.

Interest Level: Grades 6 - 8
AR Level: 5.0 (worth 6 pts.)
Lexile Level: 790

Profanity:
None

Potentially Inappropriate References:
"His nuts were cut off." Janet defines what makes a horse a gelding.


Potentially Inappropriate Behavior:
A veteran recounts a story of another soldier who shot an armed Vietnamese boy during the Vietnam War.
Two people imply a veteran shot himself in the head, possibly trying to kill himself.
Lying

Parental Concern Rating: 2 out of 5

Crash

Author: Jerry Spinelli

Book Summary: John "Crash" Coogan, freshman football hero, is a bully. His favorite victim: "The happy little accident," from down the street, Penn Webb. The thing about Webb is he doesn't seem to notice or even care about the pranks Crash pulls on him. Being obnoxious and playing football is all Crash really cares about until Crash's grandfather, Scooter, comes to live with Crash and his family. When Scooter suffers a stroke, Crash begins to make a transformation that no one expected, least of all himself.

Book Review: Crash is a hard character to like. He's obnoxious, rude, and plain mean. He buries his mother's pansies at 5 years old. He torments his neighbor, Penn Webb, for 10 years. He never passes up an opportunity to humiliate another student. He fills Webb's shoes with mustard in school. Three quarters of the book he is an angry, selfish, arrogant, bully. Crash rarely suffers any consequences for his actions. If Spinelli is trying to teach kids a lesson, he fails. Crash becomes a good guy in the end, but his transformation happens so fast that it leaves no time to explain why.

Interest Level: Grades 4 - 6
AR Level: 3.6 (worth 4 pts.)
Lexile Level: 560

Profanity:
Damn

Potentially Inappropriate References:
Damkauf (translates to dumb head in German)

Potentially Inappropriate Behavior:
Lying
Bullying
Hitting
Fighting
Stealing
Threatening

Parental Concern Rating: 4 out of 5

The Strange Case of Origami Yoda

Author: Tom Angleberger

Book Summary: In The Strange Case of Origami Yoda,Tommy can't decide if the origami Yoda Dwight made is clairvoyant or a really good prank. If it is a prank, wonders Tommy, how does a total loser like Dwight pull it off? Origami Yoda is giving solutions to hard problems like how be liked by classmates, and it's working. Dwight, who digs holes in his backyard and then sits in them for no apparent reason, can't be smart enough to know the answers to life's toughest tween-age questions. Tommy starts a file of incidents involving Origami Yoda's advice and then analyzes them. He asks his friends to do it, too. He makes comments on each case, as does his skeptical friend Harvey. In fact, fed up with Origami Yoda and his faithful followers, Harvey makes his own Origami Yoda and gives opposite advice. Both Yodas give Tommy advice about Sara, the girl he likes. Dwight's Yoda say, "Likes you, she does." Harvey's Yoda says, "Hates you, she does." Tommy has to figure out which one is right before he makes a move that could pay off big time or end in complete humiliation.

Book Review: The Strange Case of Origami Yoda is written with the same appeal as the Diary of a Wimpy Kid books. It uses a variety of fonts, small sketches, and humor. It doesn't linger too long on any one event. The pace is quick. The Strange Case of Origami Yoda also adds alternate views with engaging, sometimes hilarious, character narratives. This book will be another favorite of reluctant readers.

Interest Level: 3 - 6 grade
AR Level: 4.7 (worth 3pts)
Lexile Level: 760

Profanity:
None

Potentially Inappropriate References:
Pee - "It's not pee, it just looks exactly like pee."

Potentially Inappropriate Behavior:
Cheating on a test - the kids hear from Origami Yoda that they should study for a pop quiz.
Kids consider Dwight to be "clueless," and a "loser."

Parental Concern Rating:
1 out of 5

We Are in a Book! Book Review

Author and Illustrator: Mo Willems

Book Summary: When Elephant gets a sneaking suspicion he and Piggie are being watched, Piggie takes a closer look and discovers us, the reader! Once Elephant's shock wears off, he and Piggie decide to have a little fun by making the reader say a certain fruity word. It's all fun and games until they discover the book will end in 10 pages. Quick thinking brings a satisfying end to all.

Book Review: They're on to us! We readers, that is. The latest installment of the Elephant and Piggie books, We're in a Book!, is perhaps the funniest one so far. Readers will feel part of the story as Elephant and Piggie control what they read and say, and even ask a favor at the end. Mo Willems captures surprise, delight, fear and happiness in each sketched depiction of his clever characters. Willems is the best at taking a limited vocabulary (suitable even for kindergartners) and creating an engaging and unique story. This is not an easy thing to do! Every beginning reader should have Elephant and Piggie books to practice with.

Interest Level:
Pre-K - 1st grade

AR:
Not listed

Lexile: 200L

Profanity:
None

Potential Inappropriate References:
None

Potential Inappropriate Behavior:
None

Parental Concern Rating: 0 out of 5