Looking for something amazing to read this summer? You've come to the right place! Here you will find book recommendations from LAF students and teachers to take with you while you soak up the sun!
This summer Mrs. Nigro will be reading in her backyard, at the Jersey shore, in Maine, Boston, Denmark, Estonia, Russia, Finland, Sweden, and England! WOW!
Tear-jerking Realistic Fiction: Bridge to Terabithia by Katherine Paterson (128 pg.) I read this book when I was in 4th grade...it was the very first book that made me cry! That's the power of writing! This is not only a story of unexpected friendship between the characters, Jess and Leslie, but also about the power and magic of their imaginations. Will the strength and courage that Leslie has given Jess be enough to help him survive an unimaginable tragedy? This is one of my all-time favorite books, without question! -Mrs. Nigro
Historical Fiction for Animal Lovers: Riding Freedom by Pam Munoz Ryan (138 pgs; RL 4.8) Charlotte Parkhurst is raised in an orphanage for boys, which suits her just fine. She doesn’t like playing with dolls, she can hold her own in a fight, and she loves to work in the stables. Charlotte has a way with horses and wants to spend her life training and riding them on a ranch of her own. The problem is, as a girl in the mid-1800s, Charlotte is expected to live a much different life – one without freedom.
Riding Freedom art by Charlotte C.
Riding Freedom "kept me reading"- Hannah Mortazavi
Olivia A. and Shawn R. think Rump is golden!
Not the Rumpelstiltskin You Know: Rump: The True Story of Rumpelstiltskin by Liesl Shurtliff (264 pgs; RL 4.4) In a magic kingdom where your name is your destiny, 12-year-old Rump is the butt of everyone's joke. But when he finds an old spinning wheel, his luck seems to change. Rump discovers he has a gift for spinning straw into gold. His best friend, Red Riding Hood, warns him that magic is dangerous, and she’s right. With each thread he spins, he weaves himself deeper into a curse.
Rump "is magical and funny"-Shawn R.
Rump "is funny and has a good message"-Olivia A.
Chloe W. likes There's a Boy in the Girls' Bathroom is "funny"!
Humorous Realistic Fiction: There's a Boy in the Girls' Bathroom by Lois Sachar (195 pgs.) Bradley Chalkers is the oldest kid in the fifth grade. He tells enormous lies. He picks fights with girls. No one likes him-except Carla, the new school counselor. She thinks Bradley is sensitive and generous, and knows that Bradley could change, if only he weren't afraid to try. But when you feel like the most-hated kid in the whole school, believing in yourself can be the hardest thing in the world
Art by Chloe W.
Mrs. Patterson's 2 favorite books!
Feel-Good Fiction: The Boy on the Porch by Sharon Creech (151 pgs. RL 4.4) One day John and Martha, a young couple, find a boy asleep on their porch. The boy is unable to speak and explain who he is, so they choose to care for the boy and embrace his exuberant spirit and talents.
Powerful Lesson For All: The Hundred Dresses by Eleanor Estes (80 pgs RL 3.0) At the heart of the story is Wanda Petronski, a Polish girl in a Connecticut school who is ridiculed by her classmates for wearing the same faded blue dress every day. Wanda claims she has one hundred dresses at home, but everyone knows she doesn’t and bullies her mercilessly.
Humorous Realistic Fiction: There's a Boy in the Girls' Bathroom by Lois Sachar (195 pgs.) Bradley Chalkers is the oldest kid in the fifth grade. He tells enormous lies. He picks fights with girls. No one likes him-except Carla, the new school counselor. She thinks Bradley is sensitive and generous, and knows that Bradley could change, if only he weren't afraid to try. But when you feel like the most-hated kid in the whole school, believing in yourself can be the hardest thing in the world
