Category: Age: Grade K-2

iPhone/iPad/iPod app: MathGirl Number Garden (for preschoolers)

I really like the concept of MathGirl Number Garden: make iPhone/iPad/iPod math games that appeal to girls. And it is really appealing to girls with graphics and music that are very sweet.  But I find it to be an incomplete math app.  I mean, I LIKE the idea of pre-addition — number grouping and counting.  The app has girls counting items  flowers and fingers (well, gardening glove fingers).  The faster you get the answer correct, the more points you win.  There is a indication of speed with a bunny for fast counting, a bee for medium speed, and a snail for slow counters.  The answer choices are buttons that you select.  Faster but correct garners you more points that can be cashed in later for your virtual garden.  This gaming feature is very nice.

I also like how the answer selection is not multiple choice but buttons with a broader selection of numbers which limits random guessing.

The levels of difficulty are:

  1. Counting 1-5
  2. Counting 1-10
  3. Tricky 10′s (the items are grouped in a trickier and less obvious grouping)
  4. Tricky  5′s
  5. Counting 11-15
  6. Counting 16-20
  7. Power 20
  8. Tricky 10′s
  9. Trickier 5′s
  10. 20-50

This is what I don’t get:  at level 6,  you have to skip count by 5′s to get the answer even moderately fast.  Skip counting is pre-multiplication and division which is 2nd or third grade at my school.  And yet this app does not cover sequence counting to 100 nor addition or subtraction and all of a sudden we need to skip count by 5′s?  That’s like asking the player to jump from kindergarten to 3rd grade in order to move up the game levels.

Maybe the app expects girls of many different ages to play the game at their appropriate level but then why do they make each player go up from level one before allowing them to advance to the next level?!  And yet, it would take a genius 5-year-old who is happily playing at the first levels to stay stuck in a particular level.  Won’t that be frustrating for girls?

I would have preferred for the app to stay within one or two grades in difficulty rather than apply a math concept over such a broad range of ages in such a narrow topic.  For example, let the app be age appropriate for preschoolers through kindergarten.  Cover grouping and counting 1-20.  Teach addition for numbers 1-10.  Cover counting in sequence 1-20 with advanced levels counting to 100.  Teach skip counting by 10′s.  And stop there!

Nevertheless, the app is sweet and appealing to sweet, little girls.  It has gaming features that make math fun.  Pre-addition number grouping is a useful thing.  Skip counting is also the basis for multiplication and division so it’s great that it is introduced early BUT you might have to coach your child on the side to help her advance if she is young.  It has a great platform to launch new games and I noticed that an addition version is coming out soon.

At $1.99 , this is worth trying out for any little girl who is learning to count to five.  It’s appealing for preschoolers and also has something to offer elementary school girls.  Better yet, pair up the siblings together while you wait for your meal to be served at a restaurant.  It will be the most peaceful meal you’ve had in a long time, or at least, here’s hoping!  If you want to check out the app, please click on the first image at the top to view at iTunes.

This is the home screen for the app.

This is a sample question for level 6.

This is the screen where you can redeem your points for flowers to decorate your garden.


Sep 09, 2010 | 0 comments View Post

How To: Support Your Child Academically As They Start the New School Year

Whew!  The kids are back in school!  The first month of school is typically a time to assess and review from last year.  What does this mean for math? Assess and review is great except for those kids who:

  • Reviewed all summer and need something new.
  • Are just naturally great at math and find review boring.
  • Didn’t quite grasp a few concepts from last year, and the fly by September version is not enough AND making them feel like they are bad at math.  And now they are starting to hate math.
  • The math review is adequate and just right, but there will be some concepts and/or math facts mastery coming down the pike that they need extra support to feel confident in math OR you, the parent, want a little extra time because you know that they will be so busy with other stuff (sports, music, you name it) that getting a jump early now will make that period less stressful for everyone.

What’s the best way to proceed if any of the above applies to you?  There are  lots of choices:

  • Math Facts for review or getting ahead.  Try games.  Math iPhone/iPad/iPod apps are inexpensive and fun.  There are so many good ones, but I like Math Ninja in particular because my kids LOVE it.  I have some free web games that are mostly from Academic Skills Builder (see footer of my home page).  My kids like the race games the most.  The Blox game is also a good one.  Board games specific to math are great for parent and sibling participation. Lakeshore Learning is a great resource for that.  There are also other games using dice or decks of cards.  Here are two games devised by kids that are fun and really effective.
  • Math Concept Review with parent or tutor.  Workbooks can cover concept review with some drill but they will require 1:1 time with your child.  I am partial to Singapore Math because they give such great concept presentation in a visual and intuitive way.  If you don’t feel confident in math yourself, you can just read their words to your child and it is usually pretty effective.  The other advantage is their presentation, because it’s visual, might be the one that makes the concept gel for your child.
  • Math Concept Review plus drill without parent.  Probably the best program that I’ve run across is TenMarks.  What I like about their program is that it has built in tutoring (tips and also video for solving each problem if your child gets stuck so it is a frustration free experience that does not need parental participation).  It’s also a web based program so that kids think it’s really cool and fun.  You are also able to customize the daily worksheets of ten problems to what you child actually needs help with.  A Mom Work Friend tried their summer program because her daughter is very strong in reading but needed math review and she told me that her daughter thought it was SO fun that she would do 5 days worth in one sitting and ask for more!.  Gotta love that!  And the price is really reasonable at $10/month. Here’s that link.

I will readily admit that phonics is just not my thing.  I don’t really get it and I certainly can’t teach it.  But when my child needed phonics supplementation, everyone recommended Explode the Code. The workbooks were great and now they have an online version. It’s not fancy or four color, but it’s really effective. ProgressivePhonics.com was more fun — silly poems that teach phonics in a step-by-step way — but less effective as a tool for phonics mastery.  It’s still worth doing, particularly for  a child who insists on reading aloud but knows very few sight words.

For reading, it’s just read, read, read!  Now is the time to consider creating a book club for your children if you have the bandwidth to organize one.  Or just spend a little time introducing a new series to your child because if he or she likes the first book, you are all set for a few months!  Some great book choices for grades 1-5 are 9 (and not all books here are series but the authors have more books that are excellent):

For grades 3-5:

For younger readers, grades 1-2:

And for the newest of readers:

To view any books more closely at Amazon, just click on the image of the book.

Sep 08, 2010 | 0 comments View Post

Setting Up Routines at Home for Academic Success, Particularly for Reading

School is starting and usually there is a month of adjustment for both teacher and children doing things like assessing each child in a variety of subjects, getting into the rhythm of classroom routines and behavior norms, finding out how each child learns best, making new friends and reviewing academic material from last year.  It’s not a time where new learning is emphasized (except if your child  is lucky enough to “loop” with his or her same class from last year in which case it’s business as usual).
So, as a parent, this is a good time to start setting routines for good academics at home.  Make sure there is a good spot for homework,  even if it’s the 2-minutes-a-day kind and even more important, set a time of day when the homework gets done.  We actually set different schedules and spots for different subjects:  math is right when the kids get home from school concurrent with a snack; spelling lists review are a parent/child pair that happens when we go upstairs to start our bedtime routine and is more successful when the child writes as opposed to recites aloud (a fun way to write on the windows with dry erase pens or on a white board); reading is at night right before lights out and usually in bed, cozy and together.
But … WHAT IF your child does not enjoy reading?  WHAT IF, your child hates to read aloud but is at the stage where it’s necessary to make sure the words are decoded correctly?  WHAT IF, reading is torture and you, the parent, do all the reading to your child?  WHAT IF, it seems as if your child will NEVER read for pleasure?
I think this is a phase that all parents go through with their children and it can be longer or shorter based on the child.  The key here is to try, and try again.  Mix it up.  Try new things.  Don’t give up.  If you keep at it, your child will reach that magic thresh hold when upon you will catch your child reading when other things were supposed to happen.  Like going to sleep.  Here are some ideas to get your child reading:
  • Let your child choose the book from a pile that you select and can summarize to him or her.  Use your child’s teacher, librarians, peer recommendations and blogs to find ideas for books that might interest your child.
  • Graphic novels are a legitimate choice!  There are great ones for both girls and boys.
  • Read together, especially the first chapter to get your child engaged in the story.  Once your child is engaged, take turns reading, either page by page or chapter by chapter.
  • A trip to the library or bookstore should be fun and frequent!
  • Books on tape are also a good choice and ebooks as apps are another way to do this.
  • Non fiction on topics of interest are also great:  ufos, bugs, disgusting things, mummies … find a topic that fascinates!
  • Magazines count!  Get a subscription to their favorite one.
  • Make your own book on tape.
  • Create reading time for the whole family to do together.
  • Motivate with a reward system to get over the hump.

What is working for you?  I’d love your suggestions for motivating your children to read plus any surefire books that your kids recommend. We got these recommendations from the kids in our neighborhood and my 10-year-old daughter loved them.

For grades 3-5:

For younger readers, grades 1-2:

And for the newest of readers:

To view any books more closely at Amazon, just click on the image of the book.

p.s.  And with regard to math, September is a good time to review math facts from the end of last year.  Our favorite way is to play 10 minutes of  math games a day .  The games can be on the computer, with a deck of cards, an actual board game or an app on the iPhone/iPad/iPod.

Sep 06, 2010 | 2 comments View Post

Top 10: Best Children’s Books Featuring Life-Changing Teachers (ages 4-12)

As we ease into the summer and reflect on the our children’s past school year, it is the teacher who makes the difference between a great year and a mediocre or worse year.  I am sure that I am not alone in sending up prayers to get particular teachers for my kids next year.  This list is a homage to the exceptional teachers everywhere who dedicate their lives to making a difference.  And they absolutely do!  One day, one of their students may even write about their exception teacher as in the case for a few of the books selected below.

To purchase any of these books, please click on the image of the book

or buy at the Pragmatic Mom store on the right hand column.  Thank You!

ps  Special thanks to the exceptional teachers I and my children have had.  You know who you are!

Honorable Mention

Dotty by Erica S. Perl

Ms. Raymond, Ida’s teacher, understands about imaginary pets because she has one herself!  Ida is very shy and her imaginary pet, Dotty, is a great source of comfort and companionship at school.  When her classmates outgrow their imaginary friends, Ida continues to bring Dotty to school every day.  When Ida gets teased about Dotty, Ms. Raymond knows just what to do.  Ida has a kindred spirit in Ms. Raymond that validates the importance of imagination!

10.  The Year of Miss Agnes by Kirkpatrick Hill

Based on the true story of Agnes Sutterfield who came to the a remote village in Alaska in 1948 to teach in a one-room school house.  Her students could survive in the wilderness but most didn’t know how to read or write.  Her ability to connect with her students and create curriculum that they could relate to makes her a life-changing teacher!  In real life, one of her students becomes the firs Alaskan native to be accepted to Medical School in England.  [chapter book, ages 8-12]

9.  My Face to the Wind: The Diary of Sarah Jane Price, A Prairie Teacher by Jim Murphy [chapter book, ages 8-12]

This novel is set in the 1800′s in Broken Bow, Nebraska which is part of the wild, wild west.  Fourteen-year-old Sarah Jean Price must take over the one-room school house where her father was hired to teach but dies unexpectedly. Written in a diary format, we read about Sarah’s challenges and her ultimate success as she develops into an exceptional teacher.  [chapter book, ages 8-12]

8.  Yoko by Rosemary Wells

Mrs. Jenkins, Yoko’s teacher, is featured in many of the books in the Yoko and Friends series.  She is a wonderful teacher as shown in this book, where she must figure out a way to keep Yoko’s classmates from teasing her about her Japanese lunch.  Mrs. Jenkins is up to the task though it keeps her up late at night fretting until she thinks of a solution.  [picture book, ages 4-8]

7. The Secret School by Avi

14-year-old Ida fills in secretly when the teacher in their one-room school house suddenly leaves and threatens closure of the school.  Ida has always wanted to be a teacher and she’s completely up to the arduous task.  This is one of my fourth grader’s favorite books of all time!  [chapter book, ages 8-12]

6.  Miss Nelson is Missing by Harry Allard

When Miss Nelson is missing and the class is way behind in their work, a scary substitute teacher turns up to whip things into shape.  Children will love the surprise ending.  [picture book, ages 4-8]

5.  Don’t Say Ain’t by Irene Smalls

New York public schools were first integrated in 1957 and this picture book portrays the difficulty for exceptionally talented African American children to bridge the two worlds of their advanced, integrated school with their colloquial inner city home.  Dana, the little girl in the story, is assisted in learning this precarious balancing act  from her teacher.  [picture book, ages 6-10]

4.  Lily’s Purple Plastic Purse by Kevin Henkes

Mr. Slinger is such a wonderful teacher that everyone in his class wants to be a teacher when he or she grows up.  Especially Lily.  But when Lily brings in her new purple plastic purse and can’t follow the rules, she gets in trouble and is furious with Mr. Slinger.  The way Mr. Slinger handles this makes every parent want a “Mr. Slinger” to be our child’s teacher!  [picture book, ages 4-8]

3.  A Nickel,  A Trolley, A Treasure House by Sharon Reiss Baker

This is a true story about a young boy who is shown  a world of possibilities by his kind teacher. And to think opening up a world of possibilities takes only a nickel, a trolley and a treasure house.  And an exception teacher!  Don’t forget that part!  [picture book, ages 6-10]

2. Ida B.  … And Her Plans to Maximize Fun, Avoid Disaster and Possibly Save the World by Katherine Hannigan

Sometimes teachers can change lives in quiet ways such as by being exceptional listeners to their students as is the case with Ida B. who is reeling from her mother’s cancer, the abrupt change from being homeschooled to being back at public school, and the loss of some beloved trees. [chapter book, ages 8-10]

1. Thank You Mr. Falker by Patricia Polacco

This book is a homage to Polacco’s teacher who discovered her dyslexia and helped her to overcome it.  And this book would be the perfect gift to any amazing, life-changing teacher that we are fortunate to have in our lives.  [picture book, ages 6-12]

30% off plus free shipping on orders of $50 or more

Sep 06, 2010 | 1 comment View Post

7 Ideas for Social/Emotional Learning and the Start of School (From Edutopia)

We start school in two days and my kids are getting a little anxious about it despite being very familiar with their elementary school.  I know it’s normal to be anxious even if the transition seems small.  I came across this great list about Social and Emotional learning and the start of school and there is great advice for both parents and teachers.  Hey, we are all in this together!  Here’s to a smooth transition to your child’s school year!  Let me know how yours went and if you have any advice on what worked for you.

From Edutopia by Maurice Elias:

From a Social and Emotional Learning (SEL) point of view, the most important consideration at the start of the new school year is to create positive feelings and optimism about school. This has many practical implications for both educators and parents.

Here are seven ideas to keep in mind:

Number One

Make a special effort to greet children in a positive and uplifting way at the start of school. Create a festive atmosphere, not a “get down to business” factory atmosphere.

Number Two

Highlight all the good and exciting things that will be happening at the beginning of the school year, as well as throughout the year.

Number Three

Give students a chance to share good memories about the summer, what they are looking forward to for the new school year, and something about themselves that they would like classmates to know. Time spent helping the students in a class bond in positive ways will bring large dividend later in the year as students work together in pairs, teams, and groups.

Number Four

Allow students to have input into setting the rules for the classroom, in terms of both “do’s” and “don’ts.”

Number Five

Give students an opportunity each day to reflect on what they are learning. Ask them to keep a journal and write down, at the end of the day, three things they are taking with them from the school day. Have them keep daily journals in one or some or all subject areas where, at the end of a class period or unit or project, they write down three things they are taking away from that unit of work.

Number Six

Parents, the parallel of all these apply to you. Keep the first days of school very positive. Allow time for routines to kick in. Don’t get upset if your child is running late, or forgets things. Make it clear that you understand and expect by the end of the first week of school, routines will be set and work well. Ask your child for suggestions about ways to modify the routines that are not going well.

Also, after school, ask your child to share the best parts of the school day. Later, ask your child what they are looking forward to most the next day. Please note the words, “best” and “most.” These are relative terms, so there will be a “best” part of a bad day and something to look forward to “most” even where the day is dreaded. In that way, you keep the focus positive. Remember, school is much more than classes. Asking about hallways, announcements, and things other than academic classes may garner special conversations.

Number Seven

Teachers and parents should share what the school is doing around social-emotional and character development, health, and such key areas as prevention of harassment, intimidation, and bullying. Parents, if you are not given this information proactively, seek it out. Teachers, your best hope for continuity and reinforcement of school messages out of school is if parents know what it is that their children are being taught!

The essence of SEL is to be sure that the adults dealing with children understand that the gateway to learning is through children’s social and emotional skills and experiences. Opening that gateway at the start of the school year will lead to a smoother path during all subsequent days.

Sep 05, 2010 | 0 comments View Post

iPhone/iPad/iPod app: Math Ninja (really fun math facts game)

My five-year-old son has been hogging my iPhone and the family iPad all last week while we were on vacation.  He loaded tons of “free” games which ended up costing us $10 — (my husband: “Does he know how to read ‘free’?”  Me:  ”Yes, he reads it as ‘fee.’  Hence the charges!) — and we had to yell at him to turn off the screens.  Except when we noticed he was playing Math Ninja.  True, he’d try to cheat and slyly ask us what 9 + 6 is but we were on to him.  It turns out to be a fun game for all my kids including my 10-year-old and 8-year-0ld, both girls.  And I turned out to be bad at it.

So today I sought the help of my kids to learn how to play Math Ninja.  It begins with a short narrative (great for reluctant readers!) that draws them into a story about what the game is about, i.e. you, the Math Ninja versus Them, the animal bots.  Then, based on points (or dollars really) that you earn, you can buy weapons to defend yourself.  The fun begins as the bots come and you must defend your tree house.  Turns out I am really bad at this portion of the game AND my kids excel at it and do not need a tutorial like I did to figure out what to do.  (“Mom, it’s obvious if you play enough video games!).  Point taken and obviously I did not acquire these skills as child.

Once the onslaught is over and the points are earned, the game then turns into a math fact drill session.  The facts include addition, subtraction, division and multiplication.  While there are three levels, this relates to the difficulty of the video game portion NOT the math portion.  I asked my kids why was I getting easy subtraction (3-1= ?) when I set it to Ninja which is the hardest setting.  They said that the math drill portion is based on the history of the player who happens to be my five-year-old and that you can’t control the math difficulty but that it will get more difficult as you progress.

These are the features I like about the math portion of the game:

  • To answer a math fact problem, you must type in the number from a “calculator number pad” so YOU ACTUALLY HAVE TO KNOW THE ANSWER!  You can’t guess!  There is NO multiple choice!
  • The app tracks what you get correct and incorrect and then, I assume, works that into the next round of questions.
  • There is a time limit per problem.
  • You can set the types of problems you want to be drilled on by turning off or on the choices of addition, subtraction, multiplication or division.
  • My kids actually think it’s a really fun game so they want to play it!

Math Ninja is $1.99 at the iTunes store.  Click on the image above to go to iTunes.

Sep 05, 2010 | 1 comment View Post

Ugly Colors board book based on Uglydolls — edgy but cute!

My oldest who is ten-years-old has begged me to review this book which I thought was interesting because she is long past board books.  ”It’s so cute!” she says.  ”And funny!”  And it is.  While it IS a board book for toddlers and covers colors, it has a sly wit that will appeal to adults who, no doubt, will be reading this book over and over again.

My kids have a fondness for the Uglydolls and each has at least one of them and covets the dolls in a size that they don’t own.  And yet, they rarely play with them.  The dolls sometimes accompany my girls to sleepovers, and they claim to play with their dolls with their friends but I have never witnessed this kind of play at home.

I have to hand it to Random House because it’s a brilliant play to take the Uglydolls and convert them into books — isn’t it usually the other way around?! The books have an edgy attitude which I can only describe as slightly gross (to appeal to boys) and slightly sweet (to appeal to girls).  For example, the pages dedicated to the color RED gets these comments:  ”red cars get pulled over more often”, “I’m seeing red” and “let’s paint the town red”, with a doll saying “I’m no vandal!”

Ugly Colors by David Horvath and Sun-Min Kim is part of a series of books on the Uglydolls including Ugly Guide to Eating Out and Keeping It Down, 1 2 3 4 U, A B C U Later, The Ugly Guide to Being Alive and Staying That Way, Ugly Guide to the Uglyverse, Ugly Guide to Things That Go and Things That Should Go But Don’t.  See what I mean?  Edgy but cute.  Nice job Random House.  Ugly Colors is part of the Ugly Boards which is just right for toddlers.  The other books are more comic book in nature and would appeal to readers of all sorts including reluctant in elementary school.

These books would make a nice gift paired with an Uglydoll.

Sep 05, 2010 | 0 comments View Post

New Erica S. Perl Book: Dotty (perfect for those with imaginary friends)

I met Eric S. Perl when she came to Wellesley, MA for her Chicken Butt book tour two years ago.  A dear Mom Friend of mine was her neighbor when they both lived in Cambridge, MA and this Mom Friend introduced me to her first book, 93 in My Family.  My Mom Friend started a  our preschooler book club and kicked off the book club with 93 in My Family.  My son loved that book and a subsequent book club meeting centered around her book signing in Wellesley.

I have to say that Erica does a fantastic book tour presentation.  There were songs! There were chicken cookies!  There was a chicken hat on her head!  She talked about the evolution of her book and showed the mock ups that she made to show her publisher.  All in all, she was engaging to both child and adult.  In fact, she was riveting!  If you ever get the chance to attend her book signing, I would highly recommend it.

I ended up purchasing with all three of her books; I have three kids so each kid got an autographed book.  93 in My Family and Chicken Butt are still being read with great delight.  Chicken Bedtime is Very Early is not as popular but makes for a great and quiet bedtime story.  (I suspect that this book is less popular because somehow the illustrations just are not as appealing as her two other books).

Speaking of illustrations, it’s a little strange to me that each of Erica’s book has a different illustrator.  I suppose that she may have different publishers (didn’t actually check that), or that the publisher matches an illustrator by storyline or availability.  I, however, am a big believer in branding.  Having a consistent look and feel to her books would make her work more recognizable.  I suppose that because her books are stand alones as opposed to a series that this is not a high priority for her publisher but I still wish they would.

Ok.  I’m glad I got that off my chest.

Onto her new book.  Because I blog so enthusiastically about Erica, I suspect I got on her list for a blog tour of new latest book.  Since I know that I would buy any book by Erica, I was happy to get free copy. And having read her last three books repeatedly, I did have some preconceived ideas of her work.

Imagine my surprise when I read her newest picture book, Dotty:

  • There are no chickens involved whatsoever!
  • The book does not rhyme!
  • The theme of the book tackles twin  issues of growing up and fitting in.
  • The book celebrates The Teacher Who Makes a Difference!

Ida is a little girl with a big imagination.  Her imaginary pet Dotty (perhaps part cow and part pig or part ox) goes everywhere with her.  Dotty has plenty of imaginary friend company at first — Max had Pete and Repeat, Benny had Spike and Katya brought tiny Keekoo.  But over time, only Dotty remained; the others had disappeared as their kids grew up.  The children’s imaginary pets reflect themselves:  Ida seems a little shy; Max sometimes has difficulty sharing; Benny gets cranky also if he misses his nap; and Katya is a chatterbox like Keekoo.  (I noticed this on my 6th reading of Dotty.  My five-year-old son loves this book!)

One day, when Katya notices Ida’s blue string, she teases Ida about Dotty.  A little scuffle ensues and both girls have to write apology notes to each other.  Ida wants to tell her teacher about Dotty and why the incident happened but she’s too scared.  Her teacher seems to understand perfectly … she has a red string herself for Gert, her imaginary pet that keeps her company while she grades papers!

Hooray for teachers with that special knack of understanding their students.  Don’t we all wish and pray for these teachers for our children? And, if we are very lucky, we get that special teacher and our child has the most magical school year imaginable!  Hooray for teachers and for children’s  imagination and ability to find magic in everyday life!  [picture book, for ages 3-6]

——————

I am part of a Blog Book Tour for Dotty.  If you want to read other reviews, please see the schedule and check out their blogs — there are some great blogs on this tour!

Connect with Dotty

Blog Tour Schedule:

8/30       The Happy Nappy Bookseller

9/1         Alison’s Book Marks

9/2         A Patchwork of Books

9/3         Jean Little’s Library

9/4         Pragmatic Mom

9/7         Links to Literacy

9/8        The Book Bag Blog

9/9        The Hiding Spot

9/10       Bookmark, The First Book Blog

To view any book at Amazon, please click on the image of book.

Sep 04, 2010 | 1 comment View Post

2010 Winners: Australian Children’s Book Council

These are the winners to the Australian Children’s Book Council for 2010 in the categories of Older Readers, Younger Readers, Early Childhood, Picture Book of the Year, and Eve Pownall Award for Information Book of the Year. For a complete list of winners including the books that won an Honorable Mention, please see TrevorCairney’s blog.

———————-

1. Older Readers (Mature readers, aged 12 plus)

a) Winner

‘Jarvis 24‘ by David Metzenthen

Marc E. Jarvis lives a comfortable life in suburban Camberwell (Victoria). But suddenly life becomes complicated. Life is being crowded in by work experience at a used car yard, football training, and then a girl comes into his life. Electra, is gorgeous, as well as a brilliant runner. Probably out of his league, but why not give it a try. She arrives in Melbourne on a sports scholarship and sends Marc’s life into a spin. Metzenthen has written a story rich in the strength of its characters. Urban teenagers will recognise the urban places, the life and the people that go with it. The story has a good balance of humour and emotional depth. It should be enjoyed by many teenagers.

2. Younger Readers (Independent readers, 7-11 years)

a) Winner

‘Darius Bell And The Glitter Pool‘ by Odo Hirsch. The Bell family is in danger of losing their honourable name. Can Darius step up to the challenge and uphold it?

“The Bell family’s ancestors were showered with honours, gifts and grants of land. In exchange, they have bestowed a Gift, once every 25 years, on the town. The Gifts have ranged from a statue to a bell tower with stained-glass windows, but now it’s Darius’s father’s turn – and there is no money for an impressive gift. It looks as though a wheelbarrow full of vegetables is the best they can do. Darius is determined to preserve the family honour, and when an earthquake reveals a glorious cave, with the most beautiful minerals lining the walls, he thinks he’s found the answer…”


3. Early Childhood (Pre-reading to early reading stage)

‘Bear And Chook By The Sea‘ by Lisa Shanahan and Emma Quay

“In a follow-up to the delightful Bear and Chook, the two lovable characters continue their adventures. Bear and Chook are unexpected friends. Bear still likes adventure and Chook would still much rather have the quiet life! One day they decide to go and visit the sea. Chook is worried that they don’t know the way and will get lost, but Bear is confident they will find it just around the pond, under the bridge, through the forest and over the mountain! A wonderfully warm read-aloud story about the dreamers in life and those who wish they’d sometimes keep their feet more firmly on the ground.”

4. Picture Book of the Year (Birth to 18 years)

a) Winner
The Hero of Little Street by Gregory Rogers is book three in the ‘Boy Bear’ series and follows the two previously highly acclaimed wordless picture books ‘The Boy, the Bear, the Baron, the Bard‘ and ‘Midsummer Knight‘. The Boy escapes a gang of bullies by running into the perfect hiding place – a gallery filled with mystery and treasures. The Boy befriends a mischievous dog and is enchanted by the magic of painting. He finds himself venturing into the world of a Vermeer painting and is transported to Delft in seventeenth century. But there are many dangers on these old streets and he needs to use his wits to rescue his new friend from the butcher’s chopping block. All three ‘Boy’ books are brilliant wordless tales in the same league as Raymond Brigg’s ‘When the Wind Blows‘.  Readers of the first two Boy books will enjoy looking for the characters from the previous books as they follow this new time slip adventure.

5. Eve Pownall Award for Information Book of the Year 2009 (Birth to 18 years)
a) Winner

‘Australian Backyard Explorer‘ by Peter Macinnis

“Australian Backyard Explorer tells the stories of many intrepid individuals who explored the Australian continent in the first 120 years of European settlement. It includes little-known explorers as well as the old favourites, such as James Cook, Edward John Eyre, Robert O’Hara Burke and William John Wills. There are tales not only of tragedy, conflict and death, but also of loyalty, amazing perseverance and wonder over the new animals and landscapes they encountered.”

To buy or look at any book at Amazon, please click on image of the book.

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Sep 03, 2010 | 1 comment View Post

An Author’s Tips for Hooking Reluctant Readers (from Marcia Scheel)

This wonderful list of books is from author Maria Scheel. You can find her blog by clicking here.  Her full post can be found here.

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“I believe that all it takes to create a reader is the right book. Finding that tale is the trick.

So how do you pick books that will hook reluctant readers? Each child is different, with very particular tastes. Nevertheless, here are some key elements that engage child readers, along with some suggested titles:

HUMOR

Whether you hate or love Captain Underpants, you can’t deny that his humor captures readers – especially boys. Kids love to laugh, and if you can put funny books in their hands, they’ll keep gobbling ‘em up.

Captain Underpants series by Dav Pilkey

Time Warp Trio seriesby Jon Scieszka

Bunnicula: A Rabbit Tale of Mystery series by Deborah and James Howe

The Chet Gecko Mysteries by Bruce Hale

Mr. Chickee’s Funny Money by Christopher Paul Curtis

SYMPATHETIC CHARACTERS, ACCESSIBLE WRITING

Whatever genre the story falls into, it must have a main character that the reader claims as a friend. And just as important, the tale must be told in concise, vigorous writing. Reluctant readers don’t have the patience to slog through lengthy or convoluted prose.

Amber Brown series by Paula Danziger

Millicent Min, Girl Genius by Lisa Yee

The Hank Zipzer series by Henry Winkler and Lin Oliver

Superfudge by Judy Blume

FANTASY

Kids love books that take a compelling “what if” (what if a treehouse was a time machine? what if a boy went to wizard school?) and spin out a story. Alternate worlds, magical happenings, extraterrestrials – all of these can capture the unmotivated reader’s imagination.

Magic Tree House series by Mary Pope Osborne

Harry Potter series by J.K. Rowling

The Bartimeus Trilogy by Jonathan Stroud

My Teacher Is an Alien by Bruce Coville

Ella Enchanted by Gail Carson Levine

ACTION

With so much competition from movies, TV and videogames, books must move if they want to entice. Slow-paced stories are fine for more experienced readers, but reluctant readers need books that hit the ground running.

Alex Rider series by Anthony Horowitz

Artemis Fowl series by Eoin Colfer

The Redwall books by Brian Jacques

Maniac Magee by Jerry Spinelli

Hatchet by Gary Paulsen

THE PROMISE THAT SOMETHING WILL HAPPEN

This is why we all read, to see what happens next in the story. A book that builds suspense early on and maintains it will keep kids reading.

Animorphs series by K.A. Applegate

Holes by Louis Sachar

Matt Christopher Sports Series by Matt Christopher

Goosebumps by R.L. Stine

SERIES

Series are training-wheel books. They provide familiar characters in a familiar world that’s easier to lose yourself in with each new title. Series books build literacy skills and create new readers.

A Series of Unfortunate Events by Lemony Snicket

Judy Moody by Megan McDonald

Percy Jackson & The Olympians by Rick Riordan

The Magic Schoolbus series by Joanna Cole

STRONG VISUALS

Graphic novels, manga, and comic books, with their strong visual content, will hook plenty of reluctant readers – especially boys and ESL readers. These books can serve as a stepping-stone to longer fiction.

Usagi Yojimbo by Stan Sakai

Bone by Jeff Smith

Groo the Wanderer by Sergio Aragones

Babymouse by Jennifer and Matthew Holm

SEEING THEMSELVES

Some reluctant readers don’t want fantasy; they want the real world. If we take the time to give them books with multicultural characters they can identify with, those readers will respond.

Esperanza Rising by Pam Munoz Ryan

Bucking the Sarge by Christopher Paul Curtis

Who Am I Without Him? Sharon Flake (YA)”

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To get a sense for age recommendations, please click on image of book to view at Amazon.  Age recommendations are usually below the book reviews.

Sep 02, 2010 | 2 comments View Post
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