30/20 Picture book

Ruby the Copycat by Peggy Rathmann

Ruby is a girl that copies whatever her friend does; she changes her clothes during lunch to look like her friend, but the friends got annoyed and this hurts Ruby’s feelings.  But at the end everybody is copying Ruby. 

Barbar & Zephir by Jean de Brunhoff

Barbar’s friend Zephir goes back home and tells of his life with Barbar.

The Tale of Squirrel Nutkin by Beatrix Potter

Nutkin is an annoying little squirrel that bothers the owl.  The squirrel family goes to the tree where the owl lives and ask for permission to gather nuts for the winter and Nutkin makes crude remarks to the owl, but owl just ignores Nutkin.  In the end, Nutkin is humbled by the owl.

Polar Express by Chris Van Allsburg

A boy is challenged whether he believes in Christmas or not.  Book challenges readers if they have the Spirit of Christmas. 

There Was an Old Lady who Swallowed a Fly by Simms Taback

An old woman swallowed different animals and insects. 

The Goose that Almost Got Cooked by Marc Simont

Emily the goose got tired after flying in flips and loops and finally had to land.  She landed on a farm and life was wonderful.  Emily felt content until one of the white geese was missing and wondered the white geese went. Emily soon found out where the white geese went. 

A Frog in the Bog by Karma Wilson and Joan   Rankin

A small frog sat on the log in the middle of the bog.  As he sits, he eats one flea, then two fleas plus other insects he eats until he got too big.  He continued to sit on the log in the bog until he sees claws and a big set of jaws and a mouth like a crater!  Then the frog screams and all of what he ate comes out of his mouth. 

Where the Forest Meets the Sea by Jeannie Baker

A father takes his son to the forest that meets the sea that takes place in

Australia.  The son learns to appreciate the forest and wonders if the forest will continue to be there when he returns to visit. 

Waiting for Mama by Lee Tae-Jun and Kim Dong-Seong

A very patient child waits for his mama even though it was cold and windy.  Even though his nose was red and he kept asking the driver if his mother was coming. 

A Medal for Murphy by Melissa W. Odom

Murphy was a mutt living off the street garbage cans hoping to find food.  He took doughnuts, root beer and drank the cat’s milk.  Everyone started chasing Murphy because the people thought he had rabies and had bit someone.  All the merchants chased Murphy until he came to the park where a small child wandered off and was nearing the planks of the water.  Murphy saves the child and becomes the town’s hero.

Detective Small” by Wong Herbert Yee

Someone had been stealing bananas from the town.  No one knew who the thief was and Detective Small was called to investigate the crime.  He searched and searched, but he found hair that did not belong to cats, dogs, cows or hogs.  Detective Small questioned everyone and found a clue that led to the gorilla.  But in the end, it was not the gorilla, but the person who gave me the clue!

Way Home by Libby Hathorn

Shane finds a stray cat and promises the cat that he would take him home and care for him.  For he had lots of milk to give to the cat, but along the way, a dog tries to scare the cat and there’s some boys that try to run after him.  In the end, the boy is homeless, but yet he gives a home to the cat.

Dora in the Deep Sea by Christine Ricci

Dora’s friend Pirate Pig lost his treasure chest and he needed help to get his treasure chest back.  Dora and her friend, Boots, go to the bottom of the sea in a submarine.  Swiper tried to get the chest, but he did not get the treasure chest.  Pirate Pig was happy that his friends helped him get the chest back.

Probuditi by Chris Van Allsburg

Calvin got two tickets to watch the hypnotist with his friend, Rodney.  After watching the show, Calvin and Rodney decide to make a hypnotizing machine of their own.  It was Calvin’s birthday and mother went to the beauty palor; Calvin got his little sister, Trudy, to be in the experiment.  Calvin hypnotized Trudy to be a dog and a dog she became!

Bad Day at Riverbend by Chris Van Allsburg

Riverbend has always been a quiet town; even the stagecoach just rides through.  Hardly anyone gets on or gets off the stagecoach at Riverbend.  One day the stagecoach and the horses came into Riverbend, but the driver was not there.  The horses had these greasy marks all over them.  The sheriff looked for the driver and found him and was marked with greasy marks also.  What was making the marks?

The Secret by Michaela Morgan

The queen was beautiful, sweet and kind, but she always had a sad look behind all the kind deeds she does for her people.  She could not tell anyone about her secret, but one day she needed a haircut.  Only a person who could keep a secret could cut her hair and one man came and cut her hair.

The Mystery of Mrs. Kim by Stan Cullimore

The two girls were always late to school especially Charlotte.  One day they were so late and decided to take the short cut through another part of town.  They found an old lady starring at them and the girls got scared and ran away.  They went through the part of the town again only to find the lady calling to them.  The girls found out the old woman was blind and her name was Mrs. Kim. 

The Sign Painter by Allen Say

A boy comes into town, hungry, and looking for work.  He meets a sign painter who takes him on as a helper.  The boy yearns to be a painter.  The man offers him security. 

Home of the Brave by Allen Say

In dreamlike sequences, a man symbolically confronts the trauma of incarceration in an internment camp.  During WW11, more than 120,000 Japanese Americans were forced into ten such camps.  The book captures the confusion, desolation, and helplessness those prisoners must have felt.

I Have Another Language the Language is Dance by Eleanor Schick

This story portrays a girl who expresses her thoughts and feelings into dancing.  Thoughts and feelings that she cannot put into words, she does through dancing.  While she dances, she discovers a new language that she can actually express her thoughts and feelings.  She practices for the time when she will dance on the stage in front of everyone.  In the performance, she finds joy of communicating without words.

The Storm by Marc Harshman

Jonathan was in an accident that made him live in a wheelchair and he was always considered different everywhere especially in the classroom.  But one day there came a storm and his mother had to run errands.  Jonathan was left alone to care for the horses, but then there came a storm-a tornado.  How can he safe the horses?  He did save them without help and that made him independent.

Gogol’s Coat by Cary Fagan

Gogol was poor, but talented.  He worked in a print shop printing out letters of the alphabet and was very good at it.  Winter had come and Gogol was cold and he had tried saving his money.  He had a tattered coat and he decided to have a coat made with the money he had saved. He had a faithful stray dog named Rose because his coat looked like the letter R.  The new coat was beautiful, but someone stole his beautiful new coat with his initial sewed inside.

Friendship’s First Thanksgiving by William Accoise

This story is told from a dog’s point of view on the first Thanksgiving between the Indians and the Pilgrims.  Friendship was telling the story of how he came with the Pilgrims on the Mayflower.  They met Indians who helped them survive and they had a dog also.

Brothers by Yin

The story takes place in San Francisco, California when the Chinese settled in the city and were not allowed to venture into the city except for them to stay in Chinatown.  Ming was young and curious and wanted to know why they could not pass the sign that said No Chinese.  Ming’s curiosity won and went into the city and found a friend that helped saved their business.

Working Cotton by Sherley Anne Williams

A girl worked in the cotton fields with her mom, dad, brother and sister.  They went to work in the cotton fields when it was still dark and went home when it got dark.  They had their meals in the cotton fields.  During the day it got hot and they had to drink lots of water to keep cool.

Papa and the Pioneer Quilt by Jean Van Leeuwen

Rebecca’s papa has a wandering feet and the family has moved several places.  One more time papa got his feet wandering around; this time it was to move to Oregon!  They moved from Pennsylvania and now to move to Oregon.  Along the trail Rebecca makes a friend who collects fabrics to sew a quilt when they get settled.  Rebecca starts to collect fabric to sew a quilt and to fill with memories as they travel the prairie to Oregon.

Zathura by Chris Van Allsburg

Walter was annoyed by his little brother, Danny.  All that Danny wanted was to play with Walter.  Danny was younger than Walter.  One day Danny wanted Walter to play catch with him, but Walter jumped on Danny and started to squeeze his nose.  After wrestling, Danny found a board game.  They started playing the game took them to outer space.  Walter almost got swept into the Black Hole, but he got real dizzy and found himself at home.  After that game, Walter was nice to Danny.

My Mom’s Wedding by Eve Bunting

Pinky was torn by feelings of loyalty to her father and affection for the man her mom is about to marry.  Her parents had divorced.  As the wedding drew near, Pinky is excited, but she had sad feelings because she felt bad for her and wanted her parents to be together again.

Our Teacher’s Having a Baby by Eve Bunting

Mrs. Neal told her students that she was going to have a baby and students thought that only mothers had babies.  Students all get involved by coming up with names for the baby, writing letters and designing the baby’s room.

Merry Christimas Amelia Bedelia by Peggy Parrish

Amelia Bedelia was to make cake with dates in them; she had never baked that kind of cake.  She looked for dates and found the dates on the calendar and cut them up and put the dates in the cake.  She was to meet some people with carols and Amelia Bedelia got Carols to greet the people.

8/5 Folktales

Adventures of Tom Sawyer: Tom Sawyer-Danger in the Graveyard by Mark Twain

Tom and his friend saw three men and one of them kills a man and blames the murder on the other men. Tom and his friend witness it, but are not sure what to do.  Genre: Realistic Fiction or folklore?

The Mud Pony retold by Caron Lee Cohen

A poor lonely Indian boy longed for a pony more than anything.  He made a pony out of mud with a white face.  One night he had dreamed about the pony and he was talking to him.  In the morning, when the boy woke, the pony had become real.  The pony becomes his best friend and helps the poor boy and he wasn’t lonely anymore.

The Girl Who Loved Wild Horses by Paul Golbe

A young girl loved horses and she a special talent to talk to the wild horses.  In return, they loved her and wanted her to be with them.  While she slept, her family and her people moved away.  The girl did not know where they went, but the horses saved her.  The stallion wanted the girl to be with them all the time.  Each year the girl would return to her people, but she did not come back one year.  The beautiful stallion had a beautiful mare beside him.

Coyote and the Laughing Butterflies by Harriet Peck Taylor

Mrs. Coyote wanted some salt for cooking and asked Mr. Coyote to get her some.  He went and traveled far.  He got tired and fell asleep and the butterflies saw the coyote fast asleep.  The butterflies decided to fly the coyote home without the salt.  When the coyote woke up and found himself at home and his wife got upset with him.  The butterflies played tricks on the coyote until they felt sorry for him and finally in the end, they flew him home with the sack of salt.

How the Rabbit Stole the Fire by Joanna Troughton

The cold season was coming and the animals were worried about being cold.  They wanted to get fire from the Sky people and wondered who would be brave enough to get the fire.  The rabbit put feathers on his head and ran into the camp of the Sky people’s camp.  He got the fire and shared it with his friends in the forest.  Each animal help carry the fire until it was far away from the Sky people.

Crow and Fox and Other Animal Legends by Jan Thornhill

One of the legends is how the fox invited his rival, crow, to dinner.  The fox had made porridge with flour and camel’s milk.  The crow had a difficult time pecking at the porridge while the fox lapped all of his porridge.  Crow invited fox for a feast of ripe dates the next day.  Fox couldn’t get to the dates and crow threw them down, but the dates fell into a thick, prickly thornbush.  Fox couldn’t get to the dates.  The crow ate the dates alone while fox had an empty stomach; after that Fox did not treat his guest rudely again.

The Great Race of the Birds and Animals by Paul Goble

There was a time that buffalos ate human beings.  One day they had a great race between the animals and man; the birds chose to be on the human’s side.  The magpie sat on the buffalo as the race endured.  Near the end of the race, man was tiring and so was the buffalo.  The winner would eat which animal they want to eat.  The magpie was not tired and flew ahead of the buffalo and won the race for the humans.  Humans could eat buffalo and hunt for them for food.

Crow Chief by Paul Goble

Once there hunters that tried to hunt buffalos, but the crow would warn the herd and the hunters and their families went hungry.  The people prayed for help and got their prayers answered.  Falling Star came to rescue the people.  Falling Star and another brave dressed like a buffalo; he wanted to catch Crow Chief.  In the end, Falling Star caught Crow Chief and tied him up at the top of the tipi where the smoke made him black as they are today and it was to remind them to share with everyone.

8/6 Informational/Non-Fiction

Navajo Long Walk by Joseph Bruchac

Book tells of the long walk of the Navajo people to Ft. Sumner and the sufferings they were inflicted with.  Their triumph turn home and starting their lives again on the reservation.

Colors of Navajo by Emily Abbink

This book describes the colors that Navajo use like the yellow sun setting and the brown colors of the earth.  Genre:  informational

Astronaut Living in Space by Kate Hayden

Linda was an astronaut and trained for 18 months.  She took many tests and the doctors checked her health conditions.  She had learned to repair a telescope that is used in space.  She went into space on the space shuttle with other astronauts and lived in the space.  Her training helped her repair the telescope that was needed on her mission.  Linda loved going into space and enjoyed looking at earth through the telescope.

A Child’s Day in a Brazilian Village by Maria de Fatima Campos

Cassio is six years old and lives with his family in a village called Maria da Fe.  His mother is a teacher at the local adult education institute and his father drives the bus that transports students to the university n Italjuba.  His grandmother lives close by.  Cassio eats fresh vegetables, fruits, cheese, cake and cheese bread.  In his village people take sugarcane to the sugar mill.  Cassio has class outside because it is hot inside.  He and his classmates pick fresh vegetables to be cooked for lunch the next day.

The Seminole by Rachel A. Koestler-Grack

The Seminole tribe had occupied central Florida and called themselves “free people”.  “In the early 1800s, the Spaniards who ruled Florida called these people “Cimmaron.”  The English-speaking people thought the word “cimmaron” sounded like “Seminole” and the Indian tribe became known as Seminole.  The US government wanted to remove the Seminole tribe from Florida to make room for white settlers, but some of the Seminole people fought back.  Some moved to Oklahoma.  Today there is still Seminole tribe living in Florida.

The First Thanksgiving by Jean Craighead George

The king of England wanted everyone to join the Church of England, but there were some people who did not want to join the king’s church and left for Holland for freedom of worship. 

Going to School in Pioneer Times by Kerry A. Graves

The US Government encouraged people to move west.  There weren’t many schools and there weren’t many teachers who were qualified to teach.  If a place had a school, children lived a long ways from the school; the teacher sometimes lived with the students’ family and move around.  Sometimes the teachers lived in the same building as the school building.  Sometimes children were taught at home.  School building was also used for church service, or a community meeting. 

Songs of Shiprock Fair by Luci Tapahonso

This book tells of Shiprock Fair held every week of October.  Families, friends come together to celebrate the fair.

3/7 Realistic Fiction

Hoot by Carl Hiaasen

A new student faces new problems in his new school, but befriends most unlikely characters as his new friends.  He fights to protect burying owls where a new restaurant was to be built. 

Nothing but the Truth by AVI

Phillip loves track and has a talent for, but he does not meet the requirement.  He got a D in English from Miss Newark, a teacher that Phillip believes is unfair.  Phillip’s homeroom was changed to Miss Newark and Phillip was not at all happy.  Morning announcements were made followed by playing of the national anthem.  Phillip started to hum along the music, but the rule said to silently listen to the anthem. 

Maniac Magee by Jerry Spinelli

“Jeffrey Lionel “Maniac Magee” might have lived a normal life if a trolley accident hadn’t made him an orphan.  After living eight years with his unhappy and uptight aunt and uncle, he decides to run-and not just runaway, but run.  And this is here the myth of Maniac Magee begins, as he changes the lives of a racially divided small town with his amazing and legendary feats”.

10/5 Poems

Where is the Night Train Coming by Eileen Spinelli

These are bedtime poems.  These poems explore the wonders of the nighttime world from the comfortable perspective of a child.  Genre: Poems

Beneath a Blue Umbrella by jack Prelutsky

These are collection of poems are for parents and children to enjoy.  Poems come with pictures to enjoy

Poems in Black & White by Kate Miler

These are collections of poems that represent white and black.  The author explores our world through verse finding in blacks and whites some of the most colorful images of everyday life.

Who Was the Woman Who Wore the Hat? By Nancy Patz

A woman’s hat was on display in the Jewish Historical Museum in Amsterdam and the poet is trying to figure out who wore the hat.  The poet had questions like:  who was she? Did she have a family? Who did she love? Was she rich?

The Song of Mulan by Jeanne M. Lee
Mulan longs to be the son that her father did not have.  War was upon them and Mulan would be the one to go off to war in place of her father. She beat the enemy and received 12 medals and her comrades did not know that she was a woman.

Poems for Grandmothers selected by Myra Cobn Livingston

Various poems about grandmothers throughout the seasons.

Amber Was Brave, Essie Was Smart by Vera B. Williams

A story of two sisters set in poem.  The two girls live with their mom while daddy was in jail.  A new girl moves into the upper room.  They become friends and finally their daddy comes home. 

From a Distance by Julie Gold

This is a much-loved song which has been recorded by many artists, such as:  Nanci Girffith, Bette Midler, and The Byrds.  “This folk hymn’s message of hope in a troubled world touches a universal chord.  Its spare poetic text explores the space between the world as it should be-the untarnished creation-and the world as it is-aplace where war and injustice prevail”(Gold).

The Mysteries of Harris Burdick by Chris Van Allsburg

Peter Wenders invited Chris Van Allsburg to his home and showed Chris drawings that Harris Burdick had left with Wender, but Harris never returned the next day.  Wender kept the drawings and had Allsburg looked at them.  Allsburg reproduced the drawings with the captions that Burdick left under the pictures.  Harris Burdick was never found, but his drawings were the only thing that was left of him.

Christmas Folk by Natalia Belting

Christmas came from the old tradition and folklore of long ago.  The Christmas folklore was during the Elizabethan period.  During this time, children dressed in masks and costumes to perform a play for the holiday.

8/3 Fantasy

The Prince of the Pond by Donna Jo Napoli

The hag had turned the prince into a frog and he did not know he was a fawg.  A female befriends him and eventually becomes his wife and has froglets.  Pin fawg becomes a frog in the pond; learns how to eat insects, swim, jump and even becomes a father.  In the end, a princess kissed him and he turns back to a prince. His wife is devastated when she loses her true love and the father of her froglets. Genre: fantasy

The Invisible Princess by Faith Ringgold

Mama and Papa Love always loved other children, but they did not have a child of their own.  Papa and Mama Love were slaves that lived in the Deep South in the place called Village of Visible.  The mean old slave master, Captain Pepper sold children.  Then Great Lady of Peace told Mama Love that she was going to have a baby, but she did not want Captain Pepper to know about her baby.  The Great Lady of Peace got Prince of Night to hide Mama Love’s baby girl.

The Sweetest Fig by Chris Van Allsburg

The two figs that Monsieur Bibot received as payment was special according to one of his patients.  Monsieur Bibot did not believe in this nonsense and ate one of the figs for a bedtime snack.  When he realized that his dreams had come true, he realized that the fig had power to make things come true.  Monsieur Bibot had one fig left and he wanted to make sure his dreams were good, but something happened that changed his life forever.

Night Dancer by Marcia Vaughan

The Kokipelli calls out and asks who will dance with him through the night.  Different animals including a coyote, turtle, a rattlesnake, a rabbit and sleeping children follow him into the night as they dance until the sun rises.  All of the followers go back to their homes.

The Wreck of the Zephyr by Chris Van Allsburg

“At the edge of a cliff lies the wreck of a small sailboat.  How did it get there?  “Waves carried it up in a storm,” says an old sailor.  The story is of a boy who could out sail anyone, but he got caught in a terrible storm.  The place where the boy landed was a place where his sailboat could fly high above the clouds.  No sailor can do that.

The Table, the Donkey and the Stick by Paul Galdone

A tailor had three sons and each day they would take turns taking the goat to eat.  After each evening, the goat would say he was full and couldn’t eat another bite; then the tailor would ask the goat if he had enough to eat and the goat would say he didn’t get enough to eat.  Each time the goat told his side of the story, the tailor got upset with son and chased them away, but the tailor was alone and he led the goat to eat and the goat told the same story as before; he chased the goat away.

Elsie Piddock Skips in her Sleep by Eleanor Farjeon

Elsie Piddock was born a skipper.  She skipped better than anyone in the land and it spread to the fairies and also to their Skipping Master, Andy Spandy.  Elsie learns all types of skipping and there was no one that could come near her.

The Magic Hat by Tricia Tush

A hat came flying by and it was a magic hat.  When the hat landed on someone’s head and the person changed into a bear, baboon or a giraffe.  The hat flying around until a person came and the magic hat belonged to him.

3/3 Graphic Novels

The Calvin and Hobbes by Bill Watterson

Adventures of Calvin and his tiger friend, Hobbes.

It’s a Magical World by Bill Watterson

Some more adventures of Calvin and Hobbes.

Betty and Veronica Double Digest by Archie Comic Publications

Adventures of Betty and Veronica.  Sometimes the two girls would best friends and sometimes they are not.  They are always fighting over Archie.

4/4Historical Fiction

A Family Apart by Joan Lowery Nixon

A New York mother had to give up her children because she could not raise her children properly with adequate clothing, shelter and food.  One of her sons, Mike, had been stealing to keep the family from starving.  Mike got caught by the police and the only way Mike could not be sent to prison was for the mother to have her children sent West on the orphan train.

Across Five Aprils by Irene Hunt

Jethro Creighton, a brace boy who comes of age during the turbulent years of the Civil War. It is set in southern Illinois where Jethro Creighton, an intelligent, hardworking boy, is growing into manhood as his brothers and a beloved teacher leave to fight in the Union and Confederate armies.

Bud, Not Buddy by Christopher Paul Curtis

The travails and adventures of a 10-year-old African-American orphan in Depression-era Michigan. Bud is fed up with the cruel treatment he has received at various foster homes, and after being locked up for the night in a shed with a swarm of angry hornets, he decides to run away. His goal: to reach the man he saw on the flimsiest of evidence A believes to be his father, jazz musician Herman E. Calloway. Relying on his own ingenuity and good luck, Bud makes it to Grand Rapids, where his "father" owns a club. Calloway, who is much older and grouchier than Bud imagined, is none too thrilled to meet a boy claiming to be his long-lost son. It is the other members of his band-A Steady Eddie, Mr. Jimmy, Doug the Thug, Doo-Doo Bug Cross, Dirty Deed Breed and motherly Miss Thomas who makes Bud feel like he has finally arrived home. While the grim conditions of the times and the harshness of Bud's circumstances are authentically depicted.

The Story of Jonas by Maurine F. Dahlberg

Jonas has lived all of his thirteen years on a farm in Missouri, and even though he hears whispers about freedom, he thinks he’ll never try to escape. He knows what happens to slaves who attempt to run away. Besides, Master William has promised to make Jonas his personal manservant, and Jonas thinks fine suits and special privileges sound like a dream.

13/4 Autobiography/Biography

Mothers of the Prophets by Leonard J. Arrington, Susan Arrington Madsen and Emily Madsen Jones

This is the life stories of Mormon mothers that had sons that became prophets of the LDS church.

Pocahontas Princess of the New World by Kathleen Krull

Pocahontas was the daughter of the chief Powhatan Indians.  She was always in motion:  singing, dancing, laughing or teasing.  English settlers had come into her world and the survival of the settlers depended on Pocahontas’ people.  She saved John Smith’s live twice, but she married John Rolfe and later had a son named Thomas.  Pocahontas lived in England and died there.

The Diary of Mary Jemison Captured by the Indians edited by Connie and Peter Roop

Mary was captured by Seneca Indians along with her parents and a brother, but her parents and brother were killed.  Mary was left to survive in placement of a dead son; she was a replacement child.  She lived with the Senecas and she loved them.  She even chose to live with them until her death.

Anne Frank Voice of Hope by Kristen Woronoff

Anne Frank kept a diary while hiding from the Nazis in WW11.  Anne and her family hid in the annex of her father’s office and were finally captured.

Anne Frank by Josephine Poole

This is the story of Anne Frank while being 13 and she had to endure persecution because she was a Jew.  She had to wear a yellow star indicating she was a Jew.  People were paid for turning in Jews.  While hiding, Anne learned about liking boys and being friends with them.

Always Remember Me by Marisabina Russo

Oma had two lives and pictures showed both lives.  Sunday was the important day of the week for Marisabina’s family.  The family met at Oma’s house and she always wore a gold chain with a heart.  Oma lived during WW11 in Germany when Nazi had control of the Jews.  Oma was a Jew.  Oma was raised in Poland, but later moved to Germany where Jews were treated better, but that was not true.  Oma had two daughters.  The family survived and came to America.  Oma’s husband died suddenly, but the gold chain with the heart stayed in the family.

How to be a Cowgirl by Candace Savage

“Beginning in the mid-nineteenth century, families headed west to build ranches and start new lives in the cattle business.  Their daughters were raised on the range with an independent spirit and horses in their blood” (Savage).  These women worked and saddled bronc as well as any man.

When Marian Sang by Pam Munoz Ryan

Marian’s father was singer, but died young and he couldn’t protect Marian.  Marian loved to sing with her sisters and she sang best.  She would close her eyes and the words and notes would come into her mind.  She grew to be a famous singer even though there were many obstacles that tried to stop like getting into music school and being denied to sing in front of the Lincoln Memorial.

Monet by Shelley Swanson Sateren

Claude Monet is a French artist and was born in Paris, France on November 14, 1840.  “Claude and his friends invented a style of art called Impressionism”.  They would paint “scenes they way they looked at a quick glance”.  “Claude is best known for his haystack series and water lily series”.  At age 14, he would watch fishermen working and he would draw their ships.  He drew caricatures of well-known people of where he lived and people bought these funny pictures.  He had two sons, but his wife died.  But he kept up with art work and became famous.

Renoir and the Boy with the Long Hair by Wendy Wax

This is a story about Pierre-Auguste Renoir who was a French artist.  He was friends with Claude Monet.  The boy with the long hair was Renoir’s son, Jean.  Renoir wanted Jean to keep his long beautiful yellow hair because Renoir loved drawing his son’s hair in the sunlight and it looked like gold.  Jean got teased a lot by boys because they said he looked like a girl.  But later when Jean turned 8, he finally got a haircut which made Jean very happy and relieved.

Born to be a Cowgirl by Candace Savage

This book is between informational and biography.  It was about lots of girls that were born in the west and untamed territory.  Women worked as men and rode horses as men.  There were many women that became famous cowgirls and found life as a cowgirl exciting and full of adventure.

Mark Twain by Haydn Middleton

This is a biography of Mark Twain.  He became lecturer and got famous.  People enjoyed his stories which included humor.  He lived in England with his wife and daughters.  His wife died and Mark Twain was so sad.  His read name is Samuel Clemens.

The Diary of a Young Girl Anne Frank edited by Otto H. Frank and Mirjam Pressler

Anne Frank along with her sister, father and mother were in hiding from the Nazis along with four other people.  Being hidden for two years, Anne wrote of her life in the annex building.  This is a powerful book written by a young girl who was growing into an adult and she turned into an adult faster than she expected.

3/3 Science Fiction

Among the Enemy by Margaret Peterson

“The Population Police are gaining more and more power; and illegal third-borns are in increasing danger.  Young Matthias finds himself caught in the cross fire between the Population Police and the rebels-and unwittingly ends up saving the life of a Population Police officer.

Among the Betrayed by Margaret Peterson

Nina Idi faces torture or death unless she agrees to betray three other imprisoned children.  Her dilemma intensifies when she meets the prisoners-who are only ten, nine and six.

Among the Free by Margaret Peterson

Luke Garner is a third-born in a restrictive society that allows only two children per family.  Risking his life, he came out of hiding to fight against the Population Police laws.