Tag Archives: siblings

Out of Range

Posted on by

by Heidi Lang

Three sisters are sent to a rigorous camp together as a punishment for their constant fighting and terrible choices. Ollie ( age 9), Emma (age 12) and Abby (age 14) had moved to a new home and making friendships was difficult. Prior to this move, they had had typical sibling relationships, sometimes doing things together or sometimes two breaking off to have their own adventure. Abby starts to pull away as she tries to forge new friendships and in the process embarrasses Emma at school pretty horribly. Emma and Ollie then team up to get revenge and target Abby. As a result, their parents send them to a camp known to help kids figure things out.There are lots of unpleasant hikes and the girls don’t seem to regain their previous close bond. There is an incident and the head of the camp decides to take the girls on a punishment hike. During this hike, the girls stray from the trail and leave the camp director. What ensues is a harrowing few days as the girls work together, surviving every possible outdoor disaster (ear drownings, falling down a cliff, bear encounter and so much more) and realize they really do love each other.

The story is told in alternating views and jumps back and forth from the present (at camp) and the past (all the awful stuff leading up to it). These girls are absolutely horrible to each other and I was feeling secondary embarrassment on their behalf with each social/emotional attack they wielded. The camp part was a little over the top, with every conceivable disaster befalling the girls. I could see a couple things going wrong. But, this was EVERYTHING. You might want to take my view with a grain of salt, though, because my family has grown up in the outdoors and guides in Alaska during the summers. So, that part might be more believable to a reader that doesn’t have such a background. I did like how the girls spent quite some time reflecting (individually and together) on their actions and came to the conclusion themselves that they needed to change. Buy this book if you are looking for a survival story that has all the bells and whistles.

The Perfect Pet

Posted on by

Ana and Andrew are great kids and their parents have noticed. So, Mama and Papa announce that the siblings can choose a pet to take care of together. They research and narrow it down to three, finally choosing a hamster. Ana and Andrew find the perfect hamster, a golden one that loves to run on his wheel. Now, the fun part comes – what to name their new pet? They decide to name him after someone who runs super fast. Their parents tell them about a famous Black track athlete, Jesse Owens, who won four gold medals in track at the 1936 Olympics. They describe how important his achievement was at a time when people thought skin color made some people better than others. But, Jesse Owens showed that skin color didn’t determine a person’s abilities. Right then and there, Ana and Andrew knew that their hamster would be named Mr. Jesse. And, it was perfect!

At 32 pages, this easy reader chapter book is a great bridge between picture books and more traditional chapter books. Glossy pages and color illustrations are more picture book-like. The characters are diverse. This book is part of the Ana & Andrew series, which introduces an aspect of African American history and culture in each book. Recommended.

Gone Camping

Posted on by

In a follow up to the popular Gone Fishing, a camping trip with grandpa is told through a variety of poetry forms. Siblings Lucy and Sam head off to the woods with grandpa when their dad comes down with a cold. Lucy is skeptical about the ‘fun’ of a trip, but Sam is all in. Their adventures, from setting up the tent to early morning fishing, are all part of a trip that goes from bad idea to wonderfully exciting for Lucy.

Each poem tells part of the story and is labeled with the poetry form, which is described in the back of the book. Poetry rhythm, rhyme and techniques are also explained, making this book multi-faceted. It is a series of short poems that expand into a full story for the reader. In addition to reading this for fun (highly recommended), this book can be used very successfully for a poetry unit.

Illustrations are done in black ink and are scattered liberally throughout the story. They add to the fun and exuberance of the words.

This book is a wonderful tribute to time spent with a grandparent. Adventures range from worries about possible critters in the tent to yummy s’mores and cannonballs into the lake. Who wouldn’t love to spend time with a grandpa (or any loving adult) doing just that?

Judy Moody Gets Famous!

Posted on by

Third grader Judy Moody has many moods and the one we read about here is jealousy. She is jealous of her classmate, Jessica Finch, who gets her picture on the front page of the newspaper for winning the spelling bee. Judy wants that same fame so badly that she will do anything to achieve it. As fans of Judy Moody know, this might backfire and Judy may well become rather infamous instead! Her brother, Stink, appears in this book as well. So, fans of his series may enjoy reading about Stink’s adventures with his sister as well.

Illustrations by Peter H. Reynolds are crisp and realistic, adding to the story as pictures the size of thumbnails to two page spreads. They move the story along nicely and give it a clean, fresh look. The cover art is bright and will attract young readers that might not have found the previous editions as appealing. Recommended.

Dingus

Posted on by

It is almost summer break and fifth grader, Henry, isn’t looking forward to it at all.  His best friend Max is going off to Chess camp leaving Henry with no one to hang out with. However, even if Max weren’t going to camp, Henry might still be alone.  Max and Henry have been friends since Kindergarten, but this year their friendship is strained by Max’s new circle of friends and life in general. Henry feels lost and confused which expresses itself as anger towards Max. Henry begins to realize that sometimes you have to give a little to maintain a friendship.  Will Henry be able to do that?

A coming of age story that both boys and girls will enjoy and relate to.

The story would benefit from a few illustrations.

Mr. Pants Trick or Feet!

Posted on by

Mr Pants TrickThird in the series of Mr. Pants books, Trick or Feet is as funny and entertaining as the other books.

It’s Halloween and all Mr. Pants and his siblings, Foot Foot and Grommy, want is to get lots of candy and play zombie tag. But their plans are ruined when they get stuck in the airport because of bad weather. All is not lost when Mom saves the situation and hilarity ensues.

From an elementary school librarian’s point of view, this is a book series that will be destroyed from overuse – a very good thing.  Children will identify with the antics of the three siblings. For readers who want chapter books (but who may not be ready for the “real thing”) these books will be a good transitional choice.

 

Bottom line: full color, engaging, humorous and worth buying the series for your young readers.

Peanut and Fifi have A Ball

Posted on by

peanut and fifiSee what happens when two siblings only have one ball.  The older girl, Fifi, tries desperately to get Peanut to share her new ball. But it is a new ball and Peanut isn’t ready to share it just yet.  Fifi goes to great lengths to get her little sister to share but eventually gives up when she finds something even more entertaining.

Delightfully illustrated, by Paul Schmid, with muted tones of pastel red, blue and purple with a lot of white space.  The pictures will engage children. The story will provide a nice springboard to the value and rewards of sharing. The open ending also provides a great story starter for students and highlights the double meaning of the title.