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.
The calendar will soon flip to
September, and that means Lafayette’s Book Beach 2018 Season is drawing to a
close. Before we turn our attention to back-to-school and backpacks, let’s
slip on colorful flip-flops and take one last surfside walk in search
of fantastic flip-flopping fiction!
Book Beach Flip-Flops by Eesha N.
Miss Killea recommends Because of Mr. Terupt...
Heartwarming Lafayette Favorite: Because of Mr.
Terupt by Rob Buyea(269 pages, RL 4.1). Seven
narrators—new girl Jessica, bossy Alexia, prankster Peter, brainy Luke, quiet
Danielle, outcast Anna, and reluctant student Jeffrey—share stories from their
fifth grade school year. Rookie teacher Mr Terupt makes their classroom at Snow
Hill School a fun-filled place… until one winter day when an accident
changes everything. Fourth Grade Language Arts teacher Miss Killea shares, "This story reminds me of Wonder... Lafayette students will enjoy this feel-good story!"
Because of Mr. Terupt author Rob Buyea talks with fellow author John Irving.
... and she also suggests Fish in a Tree!
Uplifting Realistic Fiction: Fish in a
Tree by Lynda Mullaly Hunt (276 pages, RL 4.2). Ally
has been smart enough to fool a lot of smart people. Every time she finds
herself in a new school, she conceals her inability to read by inventing
clever and disruptive distractions. She is afraid to ask for help, but her
new teacher, Mr. Daniels, sees a bright, creative person behind Ally’s
troublemaking façade. With his assistance, Ally learns that dyslexia is nothing
to be ashamed of. As her confidence grows, Ally learns that there’s a lot more
to her—and to everyone—than a label. Basic Skills instructor Mrs. Ferrone recommends Fish in a Tree for back-to-school reading.
Fish in a Tree book trailer.
Swimming and Golf on The Book Beach by Mark V.
Mr. Cronin highly recommends No More Dead Dogs.
Take-the-Field Fiction: No More Dead Dogs
by Gordon Korman (219 pages, RL 4.9). What
happens when eighth-grade football hero Wallace Wallace is sentenced to serve
detention at school play rehearsals? Fans of football and funny stories will enjoy following Wallace as he becomes wrapped up in the
production and begins to suggest changes that improve both the play and his
life. Fifth Grade Math and Science teacher Mr. Cronin reports, "This is a great book to share aloud."
Book Beach Baseball Diamond by Matthew K.
Soccer on The Book Beach by Hassun.
Book Beach Basketball by Sawyer.
What is Normal? Rules
by Cynthia Lord (200 pages, RL 3.9). Frustrated
by life with an autistic brother, twelve-year-old Catherine longs for a normal
life, a normal existence where life doesn’t revolve around her brother’s
disability. But Catherine's world is suddenly complicated by friendship with Jason, a
young paraplegic, prompting her to reconsider the definition of normal.
Rules artwork by Sara R.
Brains, Brawn, and Basketball: Athlete
vs. Mathlete by W.C. Mack (198 pages, RL 3.9). Owen
Evans is a basketball whiz. His brother, Russell, is an academic superstar. When
their two very different worlds collide in seventh grade, the fraternal twins find themselves in competition at school, on
the court, and at home. Shared in alternating points
of view, this lighthearted chapter book is perfect for fans of Matt Christopher
and Andrew Clements.
Playing Lacrosse on The Book Beach by Ashley K.
Book Beach Lacrosse by Ryan R.
Athlete vs. Mathlete poster project.
Multigenerational Family Fiction: The
War with Grandpa by Robert Kimmel Smith (140 pages, RL 4.5). Upset
that he has to give up the bedroom he loves to his grandfather, Pete decides to
declare war in an attempt to get it back. Fourth Grade Math and Science teacher Mrs. Marshall tells us, "This book had me laughing out loud. I love the relationship between Pete and his grandpa."
I Survived the Attacks of September 11th poster project.
Page-Turning Historical Fiction: I
Survived the Attacks of September 11th by Lauren Tarshis (82 pages,
RL 4.7). Lucas has to tell his dad's friend Benny that his parents do not want him playing football
anymore, and he takes the train into New York City to talk to the firefighter and former football star. But
everything changes when the Twin Towers are attacked…. Lafayette readers breeze through the I Survived… series. Each
title features a story told from the perspective of a young person living in turbulent historical times.
I Survived the Attacks of September 11th diorama.
Mrs. Nigro thinks Book Beachers will enjoy The Cay.
Survival and a New Way of Seeing: The
Cay by Theodore Taylor (137 pages, RL 5.0). Twelve-year-old Philip Enright is excited when the Germans invade
his small island home of Curacao. World War II has always seemed a
distant game to him, and he is eager to witness it firsthand—until a torpedo
strikes the United States-bound freighter he and his safety-concerned mother
have boarded. When Philip regains consciousness, he is floating on a raft
in the middle of the sea, his only companions a cat and a compassionate,
elderly West Indian named Timothy. Philip remembers his mother’s warning about
black people: They are different and they live differently. By
the time the castaways wash ashore on a small sandy island, however, Philip’s
head injury has made him blind and dependent on Timothy for survival. Over
time, Philip learns a new way of seeing and important lessons about courage,
friendship, and overcoming prejudice. Fourth Grade Language Arts teacher Mrs. Nigro enthuses, "Are you a fan of historical fiction? Do you enjoy adventure and survival books? If you loved Hatchet, this is the book for you! It is a story of true friendship and the struggle to survive in seemingly impossible conditions... a real page-turner!"
Book Beach Flip-Flops by C.C. L.
We're hanging up our flip-flops! See you in September in the Lafayette LMC!
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
