May 2011

Brown, Jeff, and Tomi Ungerer. Flat Stanley. New York, NY: Harper & Row, 1964. Print.

I really, really wanted to like this book, but somehow it never clicked with me.  Right from the first mention of the family’s last name (Lambchop) I found it just a little too precious.  Maybe I just wasn’t in the right frame of mind for a book from the 60s, or maybe it’s because I don’t recall ever reading it when I was a child.

Anyway, it’s a perfectly inoffensive book at the Grade 4 level (Scholastic’s book wizard pegs it at Grade 4.4).  I put another (Flat Stanley in Space, I believe) on hold at the same time, so I’ll give it a try before giving up on the series.

Paulsen, Gary. Lawn Boy. New York: Wendy Lamb, 2007. Print.

Despite the fact that the New York Times calls Paulsen “one of the best-loved writers alive” (according to the book jacket), this is the first of his books that I’ve read.  I think because I’d heard about “Hatchet”, which sounds a bit grim, I hadn’t thought of him as writing the kind of light, humorous, warmhearted book I love to read.

And so, I loved this book.  The main character is twelve and perfectly likable.  Carried on a stream of hilarious events, he mostly keeps his head and entertains us with his story of mowing lawns, making more money than he dreamed, and how his summer ends.  Highly recommended.

Scholastic’s book wizard pegs this at a Grade 4.5 reading level, but the age of the main character and the plot makes it appropriate for older children as well, I think.  If you want to read more Paulsen, there are books at every level from grades 2 to 8, and even an adult book about Paulsen’s running of the Iditarod (a sled dog race).

Osborne, Mary Pope., and Sal Murdocca. Dinosaurs before Dark. New York: Random House, 1992. Print.

I have a soft spot for this book, because I remember my son reading it and many of the rest of the series.  It marked the first time he said to me “Mom, can I read a book?”, to which I responded “Of course you can, sweetie – you don’t have to ask permission to do that!”.

I didn’t read it myself until recently, and I can’t say I’m as eager to read the next installment as he was.  The Scholastic book wizard pegs it as a Grade 2.5 reading level, and it was altogether too low for me to enjoy.  I can appreciate it as an introduction to chapter books, and I’ll absolutely recommend it, but I won’t read any further myself.

Clements, Andrew, and Brian Selznick. Frindle. New York, NY: Simon & Schuster for Young Readers, 1996. Print.

Another great book at the Grade 4 level; similar to “Al Capone Does my Shirts“, the main character is a boy in Grade 5, the characters are sympathetic, and the storyline is entertaining but heartwarming.  In both cases there aren’t clear-cut good guys and bad guys, which I prefer – fiction is supposed to teach you about life, after all!

Highly recommended.  Scholastic pegs it at a Grade 4.8 reading level.

Choldenko, Gennifer. Al Capone Does My Shirts. New York: G.P. Putnam’s Sons, 2004. Print.

I enjoyed this book greatly – sympathetic characters, an entertaining but touching story line, and a fascinating setting with well-done (but not in-your-face) historical research.

Scholastic rates this at a reading level of Grade 4.7, but the main character is in Grade 5, and I found it rather long for Grade 4.  I’m going to try it out with my Grade 6.

Powell, Jane. Linoleum. Salt Lake City: Gibbs Smith, 2003. Print.

I’ve long been a fan of linoleum – not vinyl, you understand, but the original stuff made from a mixture of sawdust and linseed oil, heated and pressed onto burlap.  It was a mainstay of hospitals and schools for decades in the early part of the 20th century, thanks to its natural antibacterial properties.  It’s enjoying a bit of a renaissance these days, and I can even buy cool new products like linoleum applied to tongue-and-groove high-density fibreboard.

Jane Powell is the only person I’ve ever heard of who is more enthusiastic about linoleum than I am, so I thought this book was great!

The New York store Second Hand Rose supplied some of the samples shown in the book, but their website doesn’t seem to have anything other than wallpaper for sale.