This week I read a few books that I think you’d enjoy.  The first three are realistic fiction about kids in schools a lot like ours.  the last is one in a new nonfiction chapter book series I am discovering all about animals.

Kelsey, in Kelsey Green Reading Queen by Claudia Mills is a 3rd grader who loves to read.  She reads whenever she can especially when the principal announces a school-wide reading contest.  If the students from Franklin School can read 2000 books in one month he says he’ll shave off his beard and that’s pretty amazing.  It is sort of his trademark.  Kelsey wants to be the top reader but she also wants her class to be the top reading class and that leads her to do some amazing things – some good and some not so good.  You’ll have fun reading this first book in the trilogy of Franklin School Friends.

In Danny’s Doodles – the Jelly Bean Experiment by David Adler you get to meet Danny Cohen and his friend, Calvin Waffle.  Along with his interesting last name, Calvin does some pretty interesting  and unusual things.  Danny calls him 100% weird and Calvin is okay with that.  Calvin is an observer – he notices things that you and I wouldn’t because he watches and studies .  He might be a little different, but that makes him interesting and fun to be around.  While you’re reading The Jelly Bean Experiment try to decide what you’d do with Calvin around.

The Year of Billy Miller by Kevin Henkes shares Billy Millers life in second grade.  His mom is a high school English teacher.  His dad is an artist who creates in the garage and his little sister Sal is home with him.  Sally has the Drop Sisters.  Dad creates found sculptures and Mom has papers to grade.  They are busy and yet they have time for each other.  They help each other make the best of the things that happen in Billy’s second grade year – suggesting a new art project to his dad, trying to stay up all night and presenting a poem at the class Family Celebration.  It turns out that it’s not only the Year of the Dragon – it’s much more than that.  Have fun finding out.

Ape Escape and more true stories of animals behaving badly by Aline Newman is a collection of true stories.  Each story is told in three chapters with interesting facts in information throughout.  The first is about a orangutan, Fu Manchu who likes mischief and escaping.  It’s pretty amazing to read how resourceful and smart he is.  The second is an amazing survival story  about Peggy, a naughty dog who brings so much joy to a family they can’t imagine a life with out her.  And the third story is about a cat, who actually is a cat burglar.  This cat brings home gloves and shoes and hats.  The amazing thing though is that she seems to bring them back when her people need something.  These are fun surprising stories.  I am looking forward to reading the other story collections in National Geographic Kids Chapters series.