Pop

Pop by Gordon Korman
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Pop details the first few months of Marcus' transition to a new town. He is lonely as he goes to the park to practice his quarterback skills when he meets an older gentleman, Charlie. Charlie teaches Marcus all about football and Marcus soon learns that he was the "King of Pop" in the NFL. Marcus tries to fit in on the towns high school football team, but it's hard because the team went 10-0 the previous season, and had no room for a new guy. To top it, the quarterback, Troy, is a jerk, and his ex-girlfriend Alyssa likes Marcus--and he finds out that Troy is Charlie's son! Marcus soon realizes that Charlie and his family are hiding something, and Marcus keeps finding himself in trouble with Troy, Alyssa, Charlie and eventually the police department.

This book is a great sports book, but adds a lot of depth to its characters. The ending is completely unexpected, but kind of wraps things up nicely.

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Along for the Ride

Along for the Ride by Sarah Dessen
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Along for the Ride details the story of Auden's summer as she leaves her stuck-up mother and goes to live with her father, step-mother and baby half-sister Thisbe. Auden has followed her mother her whole life: studying and school--no time for being a kid. While Auden is very book smart, she majorly lacks street smarts, and finds herself in some undesirable places. She is forced to make some friends, which she's never done. She also encounters a boy who has a dark past, and won't talk to anyone but her. Since neither of them sleep at night, they spend their nights together, going on a quest to give Auden a childhood. Auden is trying to escape the pressures from her parents and finds herself learning a lot of things that she missed out on.

This was a pretty fast read, despite being a longer book. The characters felt real, but I was left longing for a bit more--maybe just because I didn't want it to end!

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Melonhead & the Big Stink

Melonhead and the Big Stink by Katy Kelly
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

The first Melonhead book was an instant favorite for me. Melonhead reminds me a lot of the Wimpy Kid series (with a lot more depth) or Clementine or Judy Moody. I literally laughed out loud at some of the parts in this book.

Melonhead is trying to get his parents to let him go to New York and see the "big stink"--a plant that only blooms once every 12 years and is supposed to emit the worst smell ever. However, Melonhead finds himself in trouble, accidentally, and he ends up having to do chores for an older lady down the street. He doesn't see how he will ever get to New York, but his trouble ends up helping him in the end.

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The Help

The Help by Kathryn Stockett
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I loved the characters in this book and how each one had a unique voice. The premise of telling stories from the point of view of the help seems so simple, and not necessarily unique, but it is different. The plot is very creative and intricate, yet everything gets woven together. I loved this book--I even woke up early one morning to finish it before it disappeared from my iPad (was checked out through my local library). I only wish it wouldn't have ended!

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Tuck Everlasting

Tuck Everlasting by Natalie Babbitt
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I read this book aloud to 4th grade for the Global Read Aloud Project in October. I absolutely loved it. It took the students awhile to get "into it" but when we got about halfway through they were always disappointed when we had to stop. The concept of living forever is very thought-provoking for students to discuss and the author does a great job of leaving chapters at cliff-hangers. Some of the vocabulary and writing style is older and was hard for students to understand, but once we discussed it, they were able to catch on. This book also has a lot of scenes that are great for imagery and visualization.

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Wimpy Kid: Cabin Fever

Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Cabin Fever by Jeff Kinney
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I understand why students like these books, but the appeal is just not there for me. This latest book, especially, has very little story line. I got to the end, and seriously wondered what the point of reading it was. I was even kind of confused in the middle because the story kept jumping around and changing--it was like a series of small stories all smooshed together that wasn't entirely coherent. Three stars is a push for me, but I know the kids in my library will love it, so I couldn't rate it less than that!

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