Where the Mountain Meets the Moon
Lin, Grace. (2009). Where the Mountain Meets the Moon. New York, NY: Little Brown and Company/Hachette Book Group. ISBN 9780316114271 Hardback, $7.99
Annotation: Minli, a young Chinese farm girl, travels to find the Old Man of the Moon and change her family's fortunes.
Recommended for: grades 3-6; ages 8-12
Booktalk: Minli is an ordinary Chinese farm girl tired of her drab little village full of hard work and boredom. The one bright spot in her life is the nightly story told by Minli’s father, Ba. Ba’s stories describe the Old Man of the Moon, who weaves together the threads of life and possesses the Book of Fortune. With this book, he can answer any question. One night Minli decides to travel to Never-Ending Mountain to find the Old Man of the Moon and ask him how she can change her family’s fortunes. Along the way she meets a talking goldfish, a flightless dragon, selfish monkeys, a boy with a water buffalo, a king in disguise, a vicious green tiger, and the happiest family in China. Will these new friends be able to help her find the Old Man of the Moon? If she finds him, can he help her change her family's fortunes?
During Minli's journeys she hears many Chinese folk tales that will help you feel the beauty of the Chinese culture and feel its charm. Enjoy the full-color illustrations, too!
Awards:
Watch the author read excerpts from her book:
Connect with the author and see all of her work on her website:
http://www.gracelin.com/
The Strange Case of Origami Yoda
Lin, Grace. (2009). Where the Mountain Meets the Moon. New York, NY: Little Brown and Company/Hachette Book Group. ISBN 9780316114271 Hardback, $7.99
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| Cover photo courtesy of Goodreaeds.com |
Annotation: Minli, a young Chinese farm girl, travels to find the Old Man of the Moon and change her family's fortunes.
Recommended for: grades 3-6; ages 8-12
Booktalk: Minli is an ordinary Chinese farm girl tired of her drab little village full of hard work and boredom. The one bright spot in her life is the nightly story told by Minli’s father, Ba. Ba’s stories describe the Old Man of the Moon, who weaves together the threads of life and possesses the Book of Fortune. With this book, he can answer any question. One night Minli decides to travel to Never-Ending Mountain to find the Old Man of the Moon and ask him how she can change her family’s fortunes. Along the way she meets a talking goldfish, a flightless dragon, selfish monkeys, a boy with a water buffalo, a king in disguise, a vicious green tiger, and the happiest family in China. Will these new friends be able to help her find the Old Man of the Moon? If she finds him, can he help her change her family's fortunes?
During Minli's journeys she hears many Chinese folk tales that will help you feel the beauty of the Chinese culture and feel its charm. Enjoy the full-color illustrations, too!
Awards:
- 2009 Cybils Award Nominee for Middle Grade Fantasy & Science Fiction
- 2009 Goodreads Choice Award Nominee for Children's Book
- 2010 Newberry Honor Book
- 2010 Mythopoeic Fantasy Award for Children's Literatur
- 2010 Josette Frank Award
- 2011 Dorothy Canfield Fisher Children's Book Award Nominee
- 2013 Iowa Children's Choice Award Nominee
Watch the author read excerpts from her book:
Connect with the author and see all of her work on her website:
http://www.gracelin.com/
The Strange Case of Origami Yoda
Angleberger, T. (2010). The strange case of Origami Yoda. New York, NY: Amulet Books.
ISBN 9780810996502 Paperback, $4.99
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| Cover photo courtesy of Goodreads.com |
Annotation: A collection of adventures middle school students have when they ask Origami Yoda (a finger puppet) for advice.
Recommended for: Grades 3-6
Booktalk: Do you ever feel like you don’t know what to do and wish you could ask someone wise what you should do? How about a Jedi Master? That’s what happens in Tom Angleberger’s The Strange Case of Origami Yoda. Sixth grader Tommy has a serious problem and sets out to determine if he can trust Origami Yoda to give him the right answer. He collects the experiences of a bunch of kids from his middle school and gathers them into one book to examine and figure it out. But, who is Origami Yoda, really? Does he have any real magic? After all, he’s just a folded up piece of paper turned into a puppet by the school’s weirdest kid, Dwight. Dwight wears funny clothes and says awkward things. He is always embarrassing Tommy and his friends. Dwight is so clueless; Tommy just can’t imagine that Yoda gets his wisdom from Dwight. But, can it really be magic?
Told as a series of stories by other kids at school, The Strange Case of Origami Yoda has lots of funny pictures and comments from Tommy’s other friends written in, this book will make you laugh!
Awards:
- 2010 Goodreads Choice Award Nominee
- 2011 Whitney and Scott Cardozo Award for Children's Literature
- 2011 Sunshine State Young Readers Award Nominee for Grades 6-8
- 2012 North Carolina Children's Book Award
- 2012 Dorothy Canfield Fisher Children's Book Award Nominee
- 2013 Sequoyah Book Award
Explore the world of Origami Yoda on the author's official website here:
Maniac Magee
Spinelli, J. (1990). Maniac Magee. New York, NY: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers.
ISBN 9780316809061 Paperback, $4.11
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| Cover photo courtesy of Goodreads.com |
Annotation: Jeffrey "Maniac" Magee searches for his place in the world and changes a small Pennsylvania town forever.
Recommended for: Grades 3+
Booktalk: Maniac, Mars Bars, Hands Down. These are just a few of the interesting characters Spinelli introduces us to in Maniac Magee. Maniac is really Jeffrey Magee, orphaned at age 3 and living with his aunt and uncle. The problem is, they hate each other the Jeffrey hates being torn apart by them. So, he runs away, only when he runs away, he really runs. For almost a year, he runs and runs and doesn’t stop running. He eats out of garbage cans and animal pens at the zoo, he smiles at random strangers on the street, and he sleeps in parks. Finally, he ends up in a town called Two Mill, just across the river from where he was born, and where his parents died. There, Jeffrey interrupts a high school football practice, intercepting the ball from the receiver and running away while punting the ball farther than the quarterback can throw it. He hits home runs off an impossible pitcher, and even bunts a frog for an inside-the-park home run. That’s where he earns the nickname Maniac. The boy has no fear. He even shows up for dinner uninvited.
But, that’s just the beginning of his adventures! This book will make you laugh and think and be amazed. To top it all off, Maniac is even allergic to pizza. Discover how Jeffrey becomes Maniac, and how an orphan finds a home in Maniac Magee.
Awards:
- 1991 Newbery Medal
- 1992 Dorothy Canfield Fisher Children's Book Award
- 1993 Pacific Northwest Library Association Young Reader's Choice Award
- 1996 Nene Award
Watch this fun book trailer some students made for Maniac Magee.
See all of Jerry Spinelli's fantastic books on his official website here:
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