Sorry – I’ve been away from the blog for a week. I’ve been setting up the classroom. As you know, that’s a LOT of books to move, dust and re-shelf. It’s mostly done now. The room looks different, but I like it. You’ll still be able to find a lot of the books you love – some new ones too. I hope you’ll visit – you’re always welcome to browse the shelves.
Two of my new favorites are Bobby vs. Girls (Accidentally) and Bobby the Brave (Sometimes) by Lisa Yee. It is the beginning of 4th grade. In the first book, Bobby and his best friend (sort-of), Holly meet up at the Labor Day Fiesta. It’s hard for them to show they are best friends. There seems to be this unwritten rule about girls and boys being friends at school. And this becomes magnified when Holly begins to spend more time with Jillian Zarr and her posse. Bobby’s in the middle of lots of things. He wants to make his family proud, but he’s not sure how. He’s just “ordinary.” His sister is the quarterback of the high school football team. Yup, that’s right. Their dad is, “The Freezer”, a retired professional football player – but Bobby hasn’t received any of those abilities. His younger sister, a 5-year old devotee of Princess Becky’s Planet, always wears a crown and carries a wand in case she needs a little magic. Bobby thinks he could use some, but so far magic hasn’t worked for him either. There are also his guy friends, Chess and St. James and they’re great, but not always successful.
As you read these books, I bet you’ll smile at the things Bobby does, sometimes because they are funny and sometimes because you’ll know exactly how he feels. There’s the race for student representative, the class picture, the field trip to Huntington Garden, and a class play- along with goldfish instead of a dog. Bobby shows us that it’s not easy to know what to choose and how to be – it seems important to tell others how you feel and to do the best that you can to be kind.
You’ll find out more about these books and even see a video of a soccer playing goldfish at Lisa Yee’s website. Enjoy! Let me know if you read them. I’d love to know what you think – how close are they to what you’re thinking and feeling as you begin your 4th grade adventure?
Keep enjoying great books!