Student Quote:

“A book might make you cry, be angry, or be disappointed in its’ ending but it will never actually hurt you or bully you like a person can. Sometimes, I like books better than people. Classics are amazing. They are books that a lot of other people have read in school and you can talk about them with classmates and friends”- D. Jenkins, 17

Bridge to Terabithia by Katherine Paterson

Paterson, Katherine. Bridge to Terabithia. New York: HarperCollins, 1977. ISBN- 0690013590. Hardback. USD $15.89. 

Awards/Honors:

-1977 ALA Notable Children's Books

-1977 School Library Journal Best Book

-1978 won the Newbery Medal

-1978 Lewis Carroll Shelf Award

-1981 Janusz Korczak Medal (Poland) 1981
-1981 Silver Pencil Award (Netherlands)
-1986 Le Grand Prix des Jeunes Lecturs (France)
-1986 Colorado Blue Spruce Young Adult Book Award

Annotation:

Meeting Leslie may have been the best thing that has ever happened to Jesse. Especially when she teaches him how to live and dream and imagine.

Booktalk:

“We need a place," she said, "just for us. It would be so secret that we would never tell anyone in the whole world about it… It might be a whole secret country,’ she continued, "and you and I would be the rulers of it."

Have you ever felt like you didn’t fit in, like you were completely alone in a world filled with people? That’s exactly how ten-year-old Jesse felt. Even when he went home to a house filled with kids, he felt as if he was invisible. When Leslie, the new girl in town befriends Jesse, a friendship beyond expectations was created. Jesse is a quiet, hard-working boy, while Leslie is free-spirited, outgoing, and spunky. Leslie teaches Jesse how to open up his heart to a world of imagination and to let go of the hostility he has built up inside of him.

Across the river, deep in the woods, and up in a tree house, Jesse and Leslie create a pretend kingdom full of imaginative creatures and events. As King and Queen, Jesse and Leslie live in this creative world to get away from the reality of their everyday lives. They defeat the evil creatures of the Kingdom as well as the bullies in their school. Open up your heart and your imagination as you ride alongside Jesse, Leslie, and their magical world! 



In 1985 this book was created into a TV movie and in 2007 a theatrical film was created. Take a look at the 2007 trailer:

"Just close you eyes and keep your mind wide open"

Read all about the author, Katherine Paterson, and her books!

An interview with actors Josh Hutcherson & AnnaSophia Robb on CBS news:

The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger

Salinger, J.D. The Catcher in the Rye. Boston: Little, Brown and Company,  1951. ISBN-0316769487. Paperback. USD $4.99.

Awards/Honors:

- among the 100 best English-language novels from 1923 to 2005 as chosen by Time & named by Modern Library 

-one of the 100 best English-language novels of the 20th century.

Annotation:

Holden isn't sure if getting kicked out of school was the worst thing that could happen to him, or the best thing. Feelings are not easy to hide in this 17-year-old's head. He wears his emotions on his sleeve for all to see.

Booktalk:

 "What really knocks me out is a book that, when you're all done reading it, you wish the author that wrote it was a terrific friend of yours and you could call him up on the phone whenever you felt like it. That doesn't happen much, though.”

If you really want to get into the head of a character in a book, this is the perfect opportunity. Holden Caulfield, 17, lonely, depressed, and dealing with the fact that he was kicked out of school, speaks his mind loud and clear. A page-turner to say the least, The Cather in the Rye captures the essence of a teenager dealing with issues that many teens can relate to. 

Though his school, Pencey Prep, kicked him out, Holden considered it breaking free. Free from his roommate, hall-mates, classmates, and teachers that drove Holden nuts.

Follow Holden as he embarks on an adventure away from Pencey, back home to the busy, yet empty feeling streets of New York City, and eventually to his parent’s house. Holden allows each and every reader step into his thoughts detail-by-detail, minute-by-minute of “last Christmas.” 

Watch this clever book review of the first half of The Catcher in the Rye:

A creative homemade movie trailer: 

Maniac Magee by Jerry Spinelli

Spinelli, Jerry. Maniac Magee. Boston: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers, 1990. ISBN 13: 9780316809061. Paperback. USD $7.99. 

Awards/Honors:

-1990: Boston Globe/Horn Book Award.

-1991: Carolyn Field Award, Newbery Medal (American Library Association.)

-1992: Charlotte Award, Dorothy Canfield Fisher Award, Flicker Tale Award, Indian Paintbrush Book Award, Rhode Island Children's Book Award.

-1993: Buckeye Children's Book Award, Land of Enchantment Award, Mark Twain Award, Massachusetts Children's Book Award, Nevada Young Readers' Award, Pacific Northwest Library Association Young Reader's Choice Award, Rebecca Caudill Young Reader's Book Award, West Virginia Children's Book Award, William Allen White Award.

-2007 online poll, the National Education Association named the book one of its "Teachers' Top 100 Books for Children." 

-2012 It was one of the "Top 100 Chapter Books" of all time in a poll by School Library Journal.

Annotation:

Skin color is not a big deal for Maniac Magee. It is a big deal to everyone else though. Running away may be the answer for now, but you have to run home eventually.

Booktalk: 

“Nobody knows who said it first, but somebody must have:

 'Kid's gotta be a maniac.” 

Born Jeffrey Lionel Magee but known as Maniac Magee, this twelve-year-old is like no other. Maniac Magee ran from it all. He ran from the death of his parents, the foster care of his aunt and uncle, and into the arms of a black family. He stepped into the boundaries that others strayed away from. Race was insignificant to Maniac but trouble brewed and Maniac moved on to run the roads of new places and new friends.

Why does race even exist? Why can’t we all get along and ignore the color of our skin? Why can’t everyone in Maniac’s town be friendly with one another? This is how Maniac thought and wanted life to be. Befriending the black boy that was causing trouble for Maniac is a small start to a stubborn society. Run the streets with Maniac Magee and become a part of his crazy adventures!



Jerry Spinelli's official page





Listen to the first chapter of Maniac Magee!



 

An adorable song version of Maniac Magee!

Student Quote:

“I think classics are appreciated more when the student isn’t forced to read them in school. I read To Kill a Mockingbird in the 8^th grade and don’t get me wrong, I liked it, but I think if I read it today, I’d probably love it. I want to read those books on my own time and when I feel like it.”- J. Morris, 18

The Chronicles of Narnia- The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis

       

Lewis, C.S. The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe. New York: HarperCollins Publishing, 1950. ISBN- 9780064471046. Paperback. USD $4.99. 

Awards/Honors:

-ALA Notable Children's book

-2001 Nominated for the Retro Hugo Award

Annotation:
Four siblings and a whole new world. Conquering and defeating the evils of Narnia is just another day in the life of a lion who is a King.

Booktalk:

“To the glistening eastern sea, I give you Queen Lucy the Valiant. To the great western woods, King Edmund the Just. To the radiant southern sun, Queen Susan the Gentle. And to the clear northern skies, I give you King Peter the Magnificent. Once a king or queen of Narnia, always a king or queen of Narnia. May your wisdom grace us until the stars rain down from the heavens.”

Are you ready to begin the first of seven adventurous novels? The Chronicles of Narnia kicks off with The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe. Four siblings move from London to the countryside only to learn that a secret world lies within a wardrobe. The youngest sibling, Lucy, enters this world, called Narnia. 

In Narnia animals can speak, witches are evil, and a lion is the King. Imagination or real life? That is the question readers will have while falling in love this novel. Can four siblings join this magical kingdom and help the King defeat the Witch? Who will survive in the end? Find out in an unforgettable adventure that exists within a wardrobe!

Like the Chronicles of Narnia on Facebook!

In 2005, this novel became a movie. 
Watch the amazing Walt Disney movie trailer:

To learn more about the entire series of The Chronicles of Narnia, browse WikiNarnia

A book talk.

The Invention of Hugo Cabret by Brian Selznick

Selznick, Brian. The Invention of Hugo Cabret. New York: Scholastic Press, 2007. ISBN- 10: 0439813786. Hardback. USD $15.99. 

Awards/Honors:
- 2008 Caldecott Medal
- 2007 finalist for the National Book Awards in the Young People's Literature category

- 2007 New York Times #1 Bestseller and named one of the New York Times Ten Best Illustrated Books of the Year. 

- Won the Quill Award in the Children's Chapter/Middle Grade category.

Annotation:
Hugo is an orphan and has to keep his life a secret. Hugo also inherits an important role at the train station, where he calls home, maintaing the clocks and keeping himself occupied.

Booktalk:

There are clocks and keys and toys and an automation and lots a images that create a silent film type of feeling. The Invention of Hugo Cabret is fantastic and unique. Hugo's father, a watchmaker, has passed and had caused Hugo to become an orphan. As he stores himself away in a train station, his guardian, a worthless uncle, abandons him and leaves him alone to maintain the train clocks. He discovers new friends who are a film maker, a young girl, and a toy store owner and fills Hugo's lonely life up.

Is this a graphic novel, a movie film, a children's picture book? How about we say it's all of the above because this Caldecott winning book captures the essence of them all and creates a magical story that will embrace you until the very last page. 





Learn all about the book, the author and much more on the official website of  The Invention of Hugo Cabret!





Meet the author as he describes his novel!! 

Like The Invention of Hugo Cabret on Facebook!