BOOK NOTES by Joan Ruddiman: From the recent issue of Reading Today, a publication of the International Reading Association, is a tip for kids and their adult reading partners.
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From the recent issue of Reading Today, a publication of the International Reading Association, is a tip for kids and their adult reading partners. The Book Adventure Web site at www.bookadventure.org encourages children to read for fun and also allows them to win prizes for their efforts.
Book Adventure is a free reading incentive program dedicated to encouraging youngsters in grade K-8 to read. With the help of Rex Reader and Bailey Bookmark, kids have more than 5000 of the most popular and acclaimed titles from which to choose. They take quizzes on the books they read and earn points toward prizes.
Book Adventure was created by the Sylvan Learning Foundation and is a non-profit organization. It is sponsored by Houghton Mifflin, Sylvan Learning Center and Barnes and Noble.com
Once they register for the Web site, kids can get access to lists of books based on their interests and grade level a kind of personalized summer reading list. Parents, meanwhile, can access a variety of resources, including educational links, fun educational activities for the whole family, and more. There is a section of the site devoted to teachers as well.
The International Reading Association is an educational partner for Book Adventure, along with Reading Is Fundamental, the National Association of Elementary School Principals, the National Center for Family Literacy, and other organizations.
Here are the ten books most recently quizzed during the past month, according to the May 8 listing on the Book Adventure Web site.
Harry Potter, 1, 2, 3, and 4 ("Sorcerer’s Stone," "Chamber of Secrets," "Prisoner of Azkaban" and "Goblet of Fire") take up the top spots. Harry Potter sales have reached the 100 million mark. Given the data from this web site, that the books are still on all best seller lists, and have been translated in 42 languages, expect that that number will continue to rise. For many reasons, this is a "don’t miss it" reading experience.
The highly acclaimed "Holes" by Louis Sachar follows at number five. This is a good one for older children and middle schoolers, as is the now classic "Hatchet" by Gray Paulson. The others on the list are definite children’s classics: "Green Eggs and Ham," "Charlotte’s Web," "Matilda," and "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory."
The Book Adventure Web site links to "Book Collection" or "Book Awards and Reviews," that provides lists of children’s literature recommended by the International Reading Association.
A quick sampling:
Kindergarten
"Come Along, Daisy!" by Jane Simmons; "Raisel’s Riddle" by Erica Silverman; and "The Storytellers" by Ted Lewin.
First Grade
"David Goes to School" by David Shannon; "Something Beautiful" by Sharon Dennis Wyeth; and "Warthogs in the Kitchen: a Sloppy Counting Book" by Pamela Duncan Edwards.
Second Grade
"Basket moon" by Mary Lyn Ray; "A Box Can Be Many Things" by Diana Meachern Rau; "Tooth Tales From Around the World" by Marlene Targ Brill.
Third Grade
"The Bootmaker and the Elves: by Susan Lowell; "Cool Melons Turn to Frogs! The Life and Poems of Issa" by Matthew Gollub; "Love as Strong as Ginger" by Lenore Look; and "Preston’s Goal" by Colin McNaughton.
Fourth Grade
"The Amazing Pop-Up Multiplication Book" by Kate Petty and Jennie Maisels; "Fa Mulan: The Story of a Woman Warrior," by Robert D. San Souci; "Hogula, Dread Pig of the Night" by Jean Gralley; "Molly Bannaky" by Alice McGill; and "Rattlesnake Dance: True Tales, Mysteries and Rattlesnake Ceremonies" by Jennifer Ownings Dewey.
Fifth Grade
"The Adventures of Captain Underpants: An Epic Novel" by Dav Pilkey; "Amistad: A Long Road to Freedom" by Walter Dean Myers; "Dive! My Adventures in the Deep Frontier" by Sylvia A. Earle; "One Belfast Boy" by Patricia McMahon; and "Safari" by Robert Bateman and Rick Archbold.
Look, too, for these IRA award winners. For younger readers, the nonfiction "My Season With Penguins: An Antarctic Journal" by Sophie Webb and for older readers "Girls Think of Everything: Stories of Ingenious Inventions by Women" by Catherine Thimmesh and illustrated by Melissa Sweet. (Did you know the youngest girl to receive a patent was awarded in 1974 to 12 year-old Becky Schroeder for the glow-in-the-dark paper?)
Fiction for younger readers: "Stranger in the Woods: A Photographic Fantasy" by husband and wife team Carl R. Sams II and Jean Stoick. The "stranger" is a snowman in the woods. Could make for some cool summer reading! Fiction for older readers: "Jake’s Orphan" by Peggy Brooke set in the North Dakota prairie in 1926.
When looking for books, don’t forget to browse the FREE public library. nothing like a cool library on a hot afternoon for some summer fun.
Joan Ruddiman is a teacher and member of the Allentown Library Board.