Baloney (Henry P.)

by Jon Scieszka and Lane Smith





Baloney is the story of Henry, who was late to school one too many times... His out-of-this-world teacher tells him he better have a good, believable excuse for being late. This is when Henry's outrageous story begins, starting with losing his trusty zimulus! What's a zimulus, you ask? Travel through space with Henry on this crazy story/crazy word adventure.

I LOVE this story! Jon Scieszka and Lane Smith are a couple of my favorite book people, and they totally keep me entertained through this whole book. A great read for kids of all ages, especially kids who make up stories for being late, losing homework, not listening, etc... though I'm sure I've never had one of MY students make up a crazy story like that!

The Twits

by Roald Dahl

Mr. and Mrs. Twit are a crazy couple! Mr. Twit has food all over his horribly hairy face, and Mrs. Twit looks creepy and has a fake eye (that definitely ended up in one of Mr. Twit's drinks- EWW!). The Twits play horrible pranks on each other, and that is why I love this book!! Could you imagine how you'd feel if you thought you were shrinking?? What about eating worms in your spaghetti?

The first half of this book is awesome, and the second half is just okay for me. The second half includes chapters about monkeys and birds and boys and other silly situations, but I think that part takes away from the hilarity of the earlier pranks.

This is a quick read with some fun illustrations. Give it a read!

Stargirl

by Jerry Spinelli

Stargirl, an eccentric sophomore, begins attending Mica High School, where she is the only one who isn't 'normal'. Her off the wall actions draw awe and attention. For instance, she brings a ukulele to lunch and sings Happy Birthday to people she doesn't know, she delivers treats to kids in her homeroom on each holiday, she dresses differently than everyone else, and more. Read it to see how relationships grow and change!

Neo Leo: The Ageless Ideas of Leonardo da Vinci

Written and Illustrated by Gene Barretta

Leonardo da Vinci studied, explored, created, invented, and more! This book shares inventions like the parachute (Jean-Pierre Blanchard, all-fabric parachute, the year 1785) that 'Leo' actually documented in his notebooks 400 years earlier. Leo's notes contained detailed descriptions, explanations, sketches, and drawings of inventions and ideas that were unheard of in his own time. The pages of notes were scattered, stolen, sold, and eventually recovered. Inventors hundreds of years later created many of the inventions that Leonardo da Vinci actually thought of first!

I love the way this book is set up; one side of the page shows the official inventor and the idea/object, and the other side of the page shows Leo's notes, sketches, and ideas about the same invention, but hundreds of years earlier. Barretta creates a fun way to read nonfiction in this beautifully illustrated picture book.