Tag Archives: humor

Guys Write for Guys Read

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Jon Sczieszka has made is his mission to reach reluctant readers. My boys loved The Stinky Cheese Man, Math Curse, and Science Verse; I can’t imagine many authors more suited to this task. This new edition of his book where “boys’ favorite authors write about being boys!” is sure to reach his target audience. In addition to an excerpt from Scieszka’s Knucklehead, two of my favorites are “Principles and Principals” about an evil middle school principal who is determined to win a battle of wills with a seventh grade boy and “My French Teacher Tried to Kill Me” about an assassin who hiding out as a French teacher. Filled with essays, short stories, poems, comics, and illustrations by some of the best and craziest authors, editors and illustrators out there, who all were boys at one time.

*Note: All royalties from the book go to support the Guys Read program.

One Cool Friend

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 Elliot and his father visit an aquarium for the day. Elliot politely asks his father for a penguin.  When his father agrees, Elliot hurries off to get one.  What Elliot failed to realize is that his father may have been thinking of the stuffed penguins on sale in the gift shop, not the real one he manages to stuff into his backpack.  This is a layered story with subtle clues that are missed on the first read through. Children and adults alike will enjoy it even more the second and third time as they will now clearly see the signs that were missed on the first read through.  David Small’s choice of cool, pale blues and sparse color compliment the story nicely and evoke a wintry feel. This is an enjoyable story that children and adults will love.

A curriculum guide can also be found at:
http://www.tonibuzzeo.com/onecoolfriendcurriculumguide.pdf

The Adventures of Sir Balin the Ill-Fated

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Summary:  The night Balin is born in Norththumberland, the old woman of the mountain arrives and predicts greatness for the newborn!  “But wait,” the old woman exclaims!  “There’s a cloud over this!” “His greatness will bring calamity to all his companions and he will strike the dolorous stroke!” Thus begins the life and knighthood of Sir Balin, the ill-fated, alternately trying to avoid and fulfill his fate.

What I like about it:   This is another installment in “The Knights’ Tales,” a fun series for reluctant readers.  Readers will enjoy the twists and turns in the story, the wordplay, and humor, matched with clever illustrations by Aaron Renier. Gerald Morris is clever writer, who will win many fans with this series.

Who I would recommend it to:  Hook reluctant readers to this series in grades 3 to 5.  Recommended for school and public libraries!

Bug Off! Creepy, Crawly Poems

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A collection of 13 poems about bugs.  “Tiny living beings [with] a beauty and  mystery all their own” is Yolen’s apt description of the insects featured in this
book. Jason Stemple uses macro photography to capture fascinating and interesting detail. From the facets on a fly’s eye, to the divisions of a dragonfly’s wing, the details are intriguing.  Each insect is highlighted on a two page spread – one side for the full color photograph, the other side for a witty poem from Jane Yolen accompanied by a non-fiction paragraph that gives the scientific order of each insect and an interesting factoid. For example: Did you know that ants are found everywhere in the world except Antarctica and that not all ladybugs have spots?
“An Army of Ants” has a nice cadence to it, “POP Goes the Tick ” has the gross factor and “The No-Spot Ladybug in Court” is a trial case that is fun to read.