Featured+Reading

Featured Reading Here are some great books that you may want to read for independent reading.

Check out [|this] site to find more books you may be interested in. Or [|here] to find books based on your [|Lexile] score.

// Hatchet // by Gary Paulsen (Simon & Schuster, 2007). The story is about Brian, 13, and how he manages to survive 54 days in the Canadian wilderness after a plane crash. Brian was flying to visit his father when the pilot dies of a heart attack in mid-flight. Brian crash lands the plane into a small lake and swims out of the wreckage. He has his clothing, a tattered windbreaker and a hatchet (a gift from his mother). The novel takes us through Brian's days, how he learns patience through his experiences with failures and small successes: building a fire, fishing and hunting, making his shelter a safe one. He endures a porcupine attack, a tornado and being utterly alone for almost two months. This is a tale of adventure but, more importantly, it is a tale of character growth. This edition includes a new introduction and sidebar commentary by the author. 192 pages.

// Baseball in April and Other Stories // by Gary Soto (Harcourt Paperbacks, 2000). Set in a Latino community in Fresno, California, these contemporary short stories take on universal life lessons. Perfect for a fifth-grade reader, Soto is gifted at telling tales that intrigue and instruct kids. // Baseball in April // is sure to inspire discussion, so chat about it with your child. Originally published in 1990. 111 pages.

// The Secret Garden // by Frances Burnett, illustrated by Tasha Tudor (HarperCollins, 1911). Beautifully written, the book shows two selfish, disagreeable children transformed by the magic of nature and their own imaginations as they work to bring a near-dead garden back to life. For the serious kid reader, this is a stay-up-all night, flashlight-under-the-covers story with fine watercolor illustrations. Hodgson combines realism, mystery and moral sensibility to make a world children will love. 368 pages. // Island of the Blue Dolphins // by Scott O'Dell (Yearling, 1971). The Newbery Medal winner for 1961, this book could be seen as a precursor to Gary Paulsen's Hatchet (see below). Karana is a 12-year-old Native American who refuses to abandon her 6-year-old brother when her island, Ghalas-at (off the Southern California coast) is evacuated. Shortly thereafter, he tragically dies after being attacked by wild dogs, and Karana begins her solitary wait for a ship to come for her. She waits 18 years. Karana survives by foraging, fishing in the ocean, defending herself from wild dogs and elephant seals, and hiding from the Aleut tribe. Told from her point of view, we share the details of her day-to-day life, watch the days turn into years, and wait for the ship to carry her off her lonely island. O'Dell based this novel on an actual historical figure, known as The Lost Woman of San Nicolas, who lived on the island from 1835-1853. 192 pages. // Number the Stars // by Lois Lowry (Houghton Mifflin Children's Books, 1989). A brave Danish girl helps smuggle her Jewish friends to safety. Lowry's sense of timing and choice of details put readers in the middle of the story. A riveting read, but your kids may have questions afterward. 137 pages.

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 * “ The more you read, the more things you will know. The more that you learn, the more places you'll go.” ||
 * [[image:http://www.readfaster.com/images/pixel.gif width="20" height="1"]] - Dr. Seuss, "I Can Read With My Eyes Shut!" ||