If a Tree Falls at Lunch Period by Gennifer Choldenko

I recently finished If A Tree Falls at Lunch Period by Gennifer Choldenko... finally. I feel like I am the last person on earth to read this book. I was waiting on my library to have it available and it recently was. When I read Al Capone Does My Shirts by the same author, I was really impressed, so I figured this book would be equally as amazing. And let's face it, I had heard plenty about it by this time.
The book the teen life of the main character, Kirsten. Her parents are fighting, her sister is a the brainiac Kirsten wishes she were, and the girls at school are excluding her. At the same time the story also follows the life of Walk (Walker) who is a new black student in a predominantly white middle school. Walk deals with is mother who is a tad on the protective side, his cousin who is dabbling in some activities Walk is unsure of, and the new students he is meeting at the middle school. The best part of the book however, is when the plot takes a very interesting turn. As a matter of fact, it was so interesting I heard myself yelling to no one in particular, "OH NO SHE DIDN'T!" (Talking about the author)
The author's craft that makes this a great recommendation is the way Choldenko varies the chapters between Kirsten and Walk. This technique often seems to quite confusing for my age student, but I think it is quite appropriate for more experienced fifth grade readers and of course for sixth grade and up it would be totally appropriate. I must admit however, I did not particularly like the way Walk's chapters were written in a sort of third person voice. That seemed strange for me.
If you are looking for a tween book that is quite unassuming, this is a great book for you. It will have you saying, "Didn't see that coming" but that is what I loved about the book.

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Letters From Rapunzel by Sara Lewis Holmes

When I started reading Letters From Rapunzel by Sara Holmes, I was also reading other books simultaneously. I was not putting my best effort forward and I even almost quit reading because I thought I could see where the story was going. I can admit when I am wrong! I WAS WRONG...
When the main character begins her journey in this story she is writing letters to a mysterious Post Office Box whom she believes is her dad's mentor in life. Instead of signing the notes from herself, she is using the alias Rapunzel. Not because she does not want to be named, but because it is how she is feeling at the time. As the letters move on, the reader hears about the strife going on in Rapunzel's life, including her father's "Evil Spell." (Clinical Depression) I cannot reveal what happens in the course of the story because I want you to read for yourself, but let me tell you, I was not expecting the events in the climax and resolution of the story.
I really liked the format because it is always easy to convince a student to pick up a book that comes in letter form. For some reason it doesn't seem like a real book to them, I guess their eyes can trick them that way. :) But what I also liked was that the book wasn't too heavy. (No not weight, but heavy, you know...) There are so many students out there who have family members going through similar stories. Heck, I am betting there are even fifth graders going through Clinical Depression, as sad as that sounds.
I am going to recommend it for students who have a keen sense of humor and also a strong heart. I think some of the content may go over my student's heads, but I guarantee enough of it will stick that they will be thinking about it for a long time to come.
Links for your liking...
Sara Lewis Holmes- Website
Sara Lewis Holmes Blog- Read, Write, Believe
And just about everyone in the Kidlitosphere has read and reviewed the book...


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My Life in Flashcards by Charise Mericle Harper

I know it seemed as though I had vanished again, but if you notice I am taking breaks on the weekend. As the summer moves along, my book reading is moving slower and slower. I apologize for that.
So this weekend I read My Life in Flashcards by Charise Mericle Harper. I thought this was bar none the cutest teen book I have read all summer. For the most part I keep finding myself reading books about boys, so it was good to get into one where the main character was a girl. Again we are reading along with a middle-schooler who is going through all those middle school things (boys, friends, parents, school, etc.) Something that makes this book a little different is the main character, Emily, received a set of flashcards from someone she calls Aunt Chester (not really her aunt or named Chester). The flashcards have labels on one side such as: Friends, Kiss, Hate, Embarrassment, Food, Love, Clothes, etc. and on the other side you are suppose to write or draw pictures about yourself and those topics. Is that not a cool idea? I wonder if it really exists? I am sure someone has thought of it. I loved how there were lots of drawings, check lists, and diagrams that look to be made by the main character, Emily. It helped to make the book flow and seem very realistic as if a teen were telling the story herself. I noticed the author, Charise Mericle Harper had also written a graphic novel.
I would not be able to read this book to a fifth grade class, it had some subjects that were very much middle school but not so much fifth grade. Again, and I feel like I am starting to sound like a prude, there were some cuss words I wouldn't be comfortable reading aloud. I have never felt this way about books, but what is up with using a word like -- the "B" word in a children's book. I know it is realistic and teens use it and hear it, but that totally ruined me suggesting the book to any fifth grader in my class. Although I will for sure put it on my shelf and hope someone picks it to read anyway. I guarantee this is not the end of Emily. This book lent itself perfectly for a second one.