8.04.2017

Fiction Friday : Chapter 6


Hello book fans! Welcome back to another Fiction Friday.

This week I am sharing a little bit of this and a little bit of that and a few more books off the 2017-2018 Texas Bluebonnet List.

Lola Levine: Drama Queen
written by Monica Brown, illustrated by Angela Dominquez

Lola Levine is a firecracker! At seven, nothing scares Lola, not even gooey worms. But when her class decides to do a play, Lola suffers from unexpected stage fright during the auditions and ends up playing Squirrel #2 (a non speaking part). Lola is shocked and so disappointed, but with a little help and encouragement from a very special family member, Lola finds her courage again and helps save the play from total disaster.

Lola Levine is a super cute series and is perfect for fans of Clementine, Piper Reed, or Gooney Bird. Looking forward to checking out the other books in the series. Enjoyed it.

Book Information:
  • Realistic Fiction
  • 96 pages
  • Grades K-3
Little Cat's Luck
written by Marion Dane Bauer, illustrated by Jennifer A. Bell

Told through verse, this sweet animal adventure is about an indoor calico cat named Patches.  Patches lives a quiet life until one day she finds herself pulled to the great outdoors by a golden autumn leaf floating outside her window. She ventures out, but before she knows it she is lost and in search of a very safe and very special place.  Desperate for the perfect spot, Patches ventures into the doghouse of the meanest dog in the neighborhood. While there, life takes an unexpected turn and with the help of her new neighborhood friends Patches finds her way home, makes many new friends, and changes the life of one lonely dog along the way.

Little Cat's Luck was absolutely adorable. Adorable! The lyrical verse was the perfect way to tell this sweet story of friendship, kindness, and understanding. "How much gentler our world would be if we only knew how to listen to one another." - Little Cat's Luck

Happy to add this little gem to my animal books collection. Perfect for all cat lovers.

Book Information:
  • Animal Stories, Poetry
  • 240 pages
  • Grades 2-5

The Girl Who Drank the Moon
by Kelly Barnhill

The Girl Who Drank the Moon is an intricately woven story of love, magic, sorrow and hope. Each year in the Protecorate, a baby is sacrificed to an evil witch to keep the town safe. And each year, a good-natured witch named Xan saves the baby, carries him or her across the forest, and delivers the child to a deserving loving family. Then one year, Xan accidentally feeds a baby moonlight, the most magical of substances. The baby, Luna, becomes so full of magic that magic literally seeps out. Xan, wanting to protect and love Luna, keeps her to raise her has her granddaughter.

Meanwhile on the other side of the forest, the story of the Protectorate is unfolding with a myriad of  likeable and very unlikable characters.  The truth behind the "stories" is buried deep in the past and covered in sorrow and despair. After all sorrow is a dangerous thing, memories are easily forgotten, and hope is very hard to come by in the Protecorate. As the story weaves the lives of these characters together, hope begins to replace sorrow, love overpowers all, and the true identify of the evil witch is revealed.

This book has one of the most beautiful covers I've ever seen. The writing is eloquent and descriptive and it won the Newbery Medal! I wanted to love this book. I wanted to put this in my top 5 middle grade fantasy reads of all time. But, I couldn't.

For me, the first 200 pages were a struggle to get through. It felt very repetitive and slow to progress. It took my almost two full months to get through those 200 pages because nothing pulled me back. But THEN, somewhere around that 200th page, I became completely engrossed in the story and I cruised through the last half of the book in a day and a half. Everything started to come together, the pace picked up, and the characters became much more interesting.

In the end, I liked it. I appreciated it. I'm sure if I reread it, I would see the true extent of this detailed and very complicated tale, however, I probably won't be picking it up a second time. I'm very curious to see what my 5th graders think of this novel next year. I've heard so many people that LOVE it, so I know it is all about matching the right reader with the right book. It always is. So, we will see. Will more 5th graders love it? Abandon it? Or stick with it long enough to like it and appreciate it?

Book Information:
  • Fantasy
  • 400 pages
  • Grades 5+
That's it for this week. More book thoughts coming your way soon. What have you been reading lately? Connect with me here or on Instagram @classroomhoopla to share book recommendations.
Want to join the fun?? 
Please link up and share one or two or three books you've read.
Link Up "Rules" are very simple.
- You can link up ANYTIME during the week, not just Friday.
-  You can include picture books, chapter books, graphic novels, etc.
- Children's and Young Adult Literature are all fair game
- Please link up with a picture of one of the books you are sharing
- Please don't forget to grab the Fiction Friday button and link back to Classroom Hoopla 
Happy Reading!


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