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Showing posts with label Newberry Award Winner. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Newberry Award Winner. Show all posts

Wednesday, June 30, 2010

Stargirl by Jerry Spinelli


Stargirl, written by Jerry Spinelli is a Newberry Honor Book about a new tenth grader at high school named Stargirl Caraway. Everyone stares at Stargirl because she is dressed quite differently than the rest of the students and she sits at a table alone at lunch and does not even seem to notice that everyone is staring at her. She is very unique and lives in the moment not thinking about what others will say or think of her, which is particularly unusual for a high school student. Stargirl is friendly to everyone and people begin to like her until she begins cheering for the other team at a ball game. The school then begins to have a continuous losing streak in which they blame her for. Leo Borlock is fascinated with Stargirl and he continues to like her even though the rest of the school has begun to shun her. Leo soon finds that he will have to choose between her and his other friends. He tries to change her only to find that he is not sure that he really wants her to be like everyone else. Stargirl is a very colorful character and her actions will surprise you throughout the book!

Wednesday, June 16, 2010

Hoot by Carl Hiaasen


Hoot is a Newberry Award Winner and a great book to read with older elementary students. I read this book with my sixth grade reading students. The students really enjoyed the book. Pre-teen students love to debate and share their opinions and this book opens itself to those opportunities. It also loans itself to discussing some environmental issues (which can tie into science).

A young boy named Roy moves from Montana to a new town with his mom and dad. He is not very happy about the situation because he is being picked on during the bus ride to school by a bully named Dana. While Dana has Roy's face pushed up against the window Roy sees a young boy running down the block with no shoes on. Roy's curiosity runs wild and he makes it his goal to find out about the boy and why he has never seen him at school. Roy soon meets a very strong willed young lady named Beatrice. Beatrice begins to slowly unravel the mystery behind the boy that Roy was so curious about. Roy finds himself getting into a lot of trouble by trying to help the shoeless boy. Much of the drama that unfolds throughout the book has to do with a new Pancake House that is being built in an area where owls are burrowing.

If you enjoy this book you may also enjoy Flush, another book written by Carl Hiaasen.