Glory Be by Augusta Scattergood

Glory Be is historical fiction set in the summer of 1964, the height of the Civil Rights movement. The story takes place in the small town of Hanging Moss, Mississippi and centers around the closing of the community swimming pool and Glory's twelfth birthday. While the story focuses on Glory and the summer of her awakening to the injustice of segregation, a second storyline about Glory's older sister Jesslyn is also developed.

I recommend Glory Be to 4th - 6th graders who like historical fiction and are particularly interested in the Civil Rights time period. It is also a good choice for students who like to read realistic fiction about family and friend relationships.

By Mrs. Norton  

Rain Reign by Ann M. Martin

Rain Reign is the story of Rose Howard, a 5th grader with Asperger's syndrome who lives in a small town in the state of New York. The main characters include Rose, her distant father, her beloved Uncle Weldon, and her dog Rain. The story revolves around what happens when her father lets Rain out during a hurricane.

My favorite aspect of the book is that Rose narrates the story. Since she is a child, this makes the writing simple and easy to read. Even better than that, though, is the fact that the first person narration allows readers to see from the perspective of a person with Asperger's syndrome. I teach several students with either Asperger's or Autism, and this book made me understand and appreciate them more.

I recommend Rain Reign to upper elementary students who are up for reading a book that will both open their minds and touch their hearts. I also recommend it to students with Asperger's or Autism themselves. Thanks to author Ann Martin, you can finally read a good story to which you can personally relate!

By Mrs. Norton

The Hidden Summer By Gin Phillips

What was going to be the best summer ever went suddenly awry.

13-year-old Nell and Lydia are best friends and have been for a really long time. They planned to go through summer like normal(sleepovers and just hanging out together). Then one day they are forbidden from seeing each other. Nell can't imagine what will happen if she loses her best friend and if she doesn't have a place to go to get away from problems at home. The girls have to find a place of their own. Nell and Lydia spend the summer hiding out on an abandoned golf course. They discover many hidden things and figure out that they are not the only ones seeking a safe place. Nell begins to realize what it means to be "seen" in this adventurous book.

I recommend this book for the upper grades and for anyone who likes a spark of adventure.

By Camille Norton

Brown Girl Dreaming by Jacqueline Woodson

I selected Brown Girl Dreaming because it is this year's Coretta Scott King Author Award winner. I later discovered that it is also a Newbery Honor Book, a Robert F. Sibert Honor Book, and a National Book Award Finalist. After reading it, I can see why it has racked up the awards!

This is a memoir of Jacqueline Woodson's childhood days written in verse. I agree with Mrs. Woodson that poetry is the perfect genre for this book. The chapters are short poetic snippets of memories that are sequenced in such a way that they tell the story of her growing up in both the South (South Carolina) and in the North (New York City). Her childhood included some very historic moments in the Civil Rights Movement from peaceful Martin Luther King with his freedom marches and bus boycotts to violent Malcolm X and the Black Power movement.

My favorite parts of the book were the chapters about her time in the South. I loved her descriptions of the time she spent with her grandparents: "the weight of our grandparents' love like a blanket with us beneath it, safe and warm."

I recommend this book to upper-elementary students interested in the memoir or biography genres. Despite the fact that it deals with some important, historic issues, the book is an easy read thanks to the verse and its short chapters.

By Mrs. Norton

The Wretched Stone by Chris Van Allsburg

I have always enjoyed Chris Van Allsburg's thought provoking story The Wretched Stone. The story is set on board a ship and is written as excerpts from the log of the ship's captain. (I love reading books written in diary form!) The voyage is going well until the crew discovers a mysterious island and brings an unusual rock on board. The men are captivated by the rock and quickly become obsessed with it. They stop telling stories, playing music, reading, and working. When a powerful storm hits, the captain is sure that he and the crew are doomed...that nothing can rescue them from the mysterious power of what he has come to call "the wretched stone."

Read to find out if the captain's morbid predictions are right. What do you think the wretched stone symbolizes in our lives?

Mrs. Norton

The Widow's Broom by Chris Van Allsburg

Because I am considering leading students in an author study on Chris Van Allsburg this year, I am reading as many of his books as I can find this summer. Like most of Van Allsburg's books, The Widow's Broom is a magical tale. In the story Widow Shaw discovers a witch whose broom has failed, causing her to crash land in the Widow's vegetable garden. The witch recovers and leaves during the night, abandoning her broom. The broom becomes a great help to the Widow Shaw, and she grows to love and appreciate its company. Unfortunately, after an incident with the Spivey boys (mean-spirited bullies), the neighbors become convinced that the broom is evil and that the Widow Shaw must get rid of it.

The Widow's Broom has a satisfying, surprise ending. I recommend it as a wonderful Halloween (or anytime) read.

Mrs. Norton

The Evolution of Calpurnia Tate by Jacqueline Kelly

This is the story of one year in the life of 11-year-old Calpurnia (Callie Vee) Tate. Callie lives in Fentress, Texas in 1899, the last year in the century. She is the only girl in a family of six brothers. Callie is not your typical 19th century girl; she has no interest in domestic arts such as cooking and sewing. Her passion is observing and experimenting with the natural world. She dreams of going to the university one day and becoming a scientist. Unfortunately, such aspirations are almost unheard of in Callie Vee's time. The only one who really encourages her and inspires her to follow her dreams is her Granddaddy, a grumpy, fiercely independent but forward thinking Civil War veteran who shares Callie's love for science.

Once I got several chapters in, I began to enjoy this book more and more. It has several parts that made me laugh, and Callie is a very likable main character. I must admit that I found myself skipping the scientific information that begins each chapter. It was difficult to understand and tie into the story.

Kids who enjoy reading historical fiction and/or who share Callie's love for nature and science will enjoy this well-written story, which is a Newbery Honor Book. Because the book is rather long and includes occasionally challenging vocabulary, I recommend it to strong, upper elementary readers.

By Mrs. Norton