Recommended+Reads

=** ﻿ Mrs Martineau will continue to update her lists of recommended reads but I strongly encourage you, the students to add your favourite reads. Be sure to write a brief summary (without giving too much of it away).**= = **K-1** = = Where's the Green Sheep by Mem Fox = =A simply delightful story from Mem Fox. This rhyming text shows all kinds of sheep but not the green sheep. In the end we see the green sheep sleeping. Sh….sh…sh come the voices of the children as they discover his whereabouts.= = = = **Gr.2-3** = = // Diary of a Fly // by Doreen Cronin = = = = Diary of a Fly is a wonderful book about believing in yourself and being the best you can be. It is empowering. Written in a diary format, we follow the life of fly through the summer from her first day of school to learning to land on moving targets and keeping away from dogs. Fly and her best friends **worm** and **spider** teach each other lessons focusing on what they can and can’t do. Getting discouraged with all the things she can’t do fly believes her dreams of being a superhero are crushed. Worm helps her see that she really is a superhero and can be whomever she wants. This story of friendship and growth is comical, easy to read and has great illustrations. Don’t miss the back and front inside covers as they have great photo albums and journaling. = = = =If you like this one, be sure to check out Diary of a Worm and Diary of a Spider (all three are in our library)= = **Gr. 4-5** = = // Diary of a Wimpy Ki d// by Jeff Kinney  = = This is a funny, funny book that made me laugh out loud. It is cleverly written in a diary format, which has become very popular with books such as Diary of a Fly (spider and worm), the Dear Dumb Diary series. Features I liked included the font (as if it was printed by a teen), the lined paper and the energetic drawings that added to the dialogue. Protagonist Greg Heffley is a Jr. High student who muses about his day to day dilemmas including running for student council, having to take wrestling in PE class and becoming a crossing guard with his best friend Rowley. Throughout the book Rowley and Greg have friendship struggles and at times Greg is downright mean to his friend. Most often, Greg’s character ends up getting the worst of it. = = = = **Gr. 6-7** = = //Skeleton Creek// by Patrick Carman = = Scholastic Press (2009), Hardcover, 144 pages =
 * = Skeleton Creek fits the criteria of multi-media reading pleasure. It offers a different experience for readers including digital options through video interaction in a multi-layer experience. Recommended to me by a Gr. 6/7 teacher in our district, the story is of friends Ryan and Sarah who are young detectives trying to solve the mystery of an abandoned town in Oregon. Ryan is forbidden to remain in contact with Sarah after he breaks his leg during one of their exploits (the story begins with Ryan holed up in his room). Sarah and Ryan are determined to solve the mystery and continue to communicate through web video. Reminiscent of a younger, tamer version of The Blair Witch project, the first video is of Sarah running in the dark heading into a broken shed, perhaps a gold mine shaft and asking Ryan to help her search for clues. This interactive text allows students to read the secret code go the website and watch the video. I would agree with some reviews I have read that the weblinks to videos are far and few between and students are anxious to get to the next one. The book ends in a cliff-hanger to be continued in the sequel Ghost in the Machine (which we also have in the library). = ||  ||