Winnie-the-Pooh

By: A.A. Miline
Illustrations: Ernest H. Shepard

Genre: Fantasy because Christopher Robin's dolls come to life and have adventures.

Age Range: 5th-8th grade. Even though this is a fantasy book revolving around a stuffed bear and his friends, the writing style and chosen language of the book promotes challenges for young readers. Their is also a variety of personalities which young readers may also have difficulty understanding.

Plot: The book is a collection of adventures of Winnie-the-Pooh and his friends Christopher Robin, Piglet, Rabbit, Eeyore, Kanga, Baby Roo, and Owl. Many resulting in Pooh and his friends getting in some sort of situatuion which Christopher Robin helps them.

Characters: Winnie-the-Pooh, Christopher Robin, the narrator, Piglet, Owl, Eeyore, Kanga, Baby Roo, and Rabbit.

Setting: Christopher Robin's house and The Hundred Acre Wood.

Theme: Friends are very important.

Illustrations: Sketches done by Ernest H. Shepard add to the reasoning of why this book is for older readers. The sketches are simple outlines simply aiding the imagination of the reader as to what was going on or how things looked.

Wringer

By: Jerry Spinelli

Genre: Contemporary Realistic Fiction

Age Range: 5th - 8th grade; The amount of peer pressure and concept of death make this a great book for new  independent young readers.

Plot: Palmer just turned nine years old and was finally accepted by Beans, Mutt, and Henry as their friend. They were all excited though to turn ten. In the town they lived in, when a boy turned ten he was allowed the opportunity to be a wringer in the local pigeon shooting contest. Any pigeons that were injured, their necks were wrung by the boys. The only one not excited was Palmer. He didn't understand why the pigeons had to die and didn't want to kill anything. Things only became more complicated when a pigeon landed just outside his window not just one night but every night. Palmer ends up keeping him but this only causes more problems with his friends as Beans, the leader, hates pigeons. He wants nothing more than to be a wringer and he'll stop at nothing to get that bird. Palmer realizes this and gets rid of Nipper, the pigeon. However, on the day of the shoot, Nipper has somehow ended up with all the other pigeons and Palmer begins his frantic search for him. Nipper flies out of a box, the shooter misses, and he lands on Palmer's head. Beans tries to kill him but fortunately Palmer is able to save him and they head home with everyone knowing Palmer has a pet pigeon.

Characters: Palmer, Beans, Mutt, Henry, Dorothy, Nipper, Palmer's Mom

Setting: A rural community in present day.

Theme: Never give in to peer pressure.

Award: Newbery Honor 1997

Coraline

By: Neil Gaiman.

Genre: Fantasy

Age Range: 5th-8th. Even though this book does not have any situations with physical development, has conflicts with adults and many problem solving situations enticing the readers to figure out what Coraline will do next.

Plot: Coraline is bored with her life. Her parents do not listen and her neighbors cannot get her name right. On a rainy day that forces her to stay inside, Coraline begins exploring the house. She finds a door which wasn't supposed to go anywhere but this time, it did. Crawling through the door she walked back into her home but it wasn't her home. This other home was much more exciting. The food smelled delicious and the garden was magnificent. Her other parents wanted her to stay very much but she must sew black buttons over her eyes. Coraline refuses, hurriedly climbs back through door and closes it behind her. She arrives back in her real home but cannot find her parents. She discovers her other mother has taken them and she must get them back. With help from the cat, she manages to defeat the other mother, save her parents, and the souls of others the other mother has captured. Coraline and everyone escapes safely to her home. However, the souls she saved tells her it isn't over. The other mother's great right hand is after the key to the door that hangs around Coraline's neck. She lures the hand to the deep, deep well in the garden. Laying a trap, she places the key on a table cloth over the well. Without hesitation the hand jumps for it, tumbles far down the well and Coraline quickly boards up the well preventing it from ever escaping.

Characters: Coraline, Mother and Father, Miss Spink, Miss Forcible, Mr. Bobo, Cat, Other Mother/beldam, Other Father, Other Miss Spink, Other Miss Forcible, Other Mr. Bobo, the rats.

Setting: It gives no mention of time but I'd guess present day in a suburban/rural area in England.

Theme: "When you're scared but still do it anyway, that's brave." A direct quote from the book.

Equity: No stereotypes or gender bias.

Illustrations: By Dave McKean. Sketches that help show both worlds Coraline is in.

The Apprentice

By: Pilar Molina Llorente

Genre: Historical Fiction. Set during the time of the Renaissance in Florence, Italy. This story offers a glimpse of how people lived and worked in that time.

Age Range: 4th-6th. While giving a peek into what life was like back then, this books has moral dilemmas, conflicts with peers, parents, adults, and internal conflicts that the young main character must go through in order to achieve his dream of becoming a painter.

Plot: Arduino does not want to become a tailor like his father, brothers, or his other ancestors. He wishes to painter. His father isn't happy about it but allows him to have an apprenticeship with a master painter, Cosimo di Forli. After one day of being there, Arduino is treated like garbage. After a few weeks, he is still only cleaning and fears he may never learn anything. One night ventures to the attic where the housemaid has been making recent trips. He finds a young boy named Donato, a former apprentice of the master chained like an animal. After the master had fallen ill, Donato was set free in order to finish the master's commission and continure painting with Arduino at his side.

Characters: Arduino, Father, Maestro Cosimo di Forli, Melania, Donato, Duke of Algora, Marco, Piero, Baldo.

Setting: The Renaissance in Florence, Italy.

Theme:

Equity: Stereotypes are avoided and the culture is accurately and appropriately represesnted.

Illustrations: By Juan Ramon Alonso. Sketches helping depict various characters.

The Library Card

By: Jerry Spinelli

Genre: Contemporary Realistic Fiction

Age Range: 4th-6th grade. All four separate stories deal with growing up and changing but not in a physical way. Some have the main characters being made fun of, leaving everything they've known behind, giving up something they thought they couldn't live without, and not even having a home.

Plot: All four stories are different and not related. Each of the characters has it's own unique story of how reading books affected them positively. The first story is about Mongoose.  A young boy who began to steal and vandalize various spots in the city with his friend Weasel. He stumbles into the public library, begins reading, and cannot stop. The second story is of Brenda. A young girl who has becoming addicted to television. When the school and parents decide to participate in a television blackout, Brenda cannot seem to function. After a few days, she finds her old library card after years without using it. After days without television and now reading books, Brenda begins to change in a positive way. The third story tells about Sonseray. He lives with his Uncle Jack in an old Cadillac Elderado that they drive from town to town when they need to leave. Sonseray cannot seem to control his temper or actions. When Sonseray stumbles into a library and finds the book his mother wold read to him as a child, he finds peace in knowledge that he never made it up and that she was real. The fourth is about April. Her family moves from News York City to a mushroom farm. She hates everything about it. They worst part is she cannot find a library. That is until, she stumbles upon the book mobile. In it she meets Nanette, a teenage girl hijacking the bus to get to her fiance. By the end of the trip, April gives Nanette to her address and they begin to write each other letters becoming the best of friends.

Characters: Mongoose, Weasel, the Masked Man, Brenda, Brenda's Mom and Dad, Sonseray, Uncle Jack, Edwina, April, Nanette, and the driver of the bookmobile.

Setting: First story is in the city, second in a suburban community, third in a city, fourth in a rural community.

Theme: Books have different affects on different people. They mean more than just knowledge.

Illustrations: None

Maniac Magee

By: Jerry Spinelli

Genre: Contemporary Realistic Fiction

Age Range: 5th - 7th grade. Expressions of prejudice, becoming more independent with reading and challenging themselves, enjoys stories of survival, increased understanding of time, highly  developed sense of concern for others, rich and complex story, and abstract relationships.

Plot: As a baby, Jeffrey Magee's parents died in a terrible accident. He is sent to live with his Uncle Dan and Aunt Don, who despised each other. After eight years of the silence and hate, Jeffrey ran away and  met Amanda Beale in the West End of Two Mills which was blacks only. Jeffrey didn't understand and didn't care. He continued along in the West End having various run-ins with Mars Bar Thompson and a few high-schoolers. When he goes to the East End which is whites only, he runs into John McNab, a pitcher for a little league that seems unbeatable. When Magee beats him and performs other crazy stunts, he earns the title "Maniac Magee". However, after living in the West End, prejudice takes over and runs Magee out of town where he meets Grayson, a down out pitcher from the minor leagues. He lives with Grayson for many months and they become somewhat of a family. Sadly, Grayson dies shortly after Christmas and Magee feels lost and hopeless. He comes upon two young boys trying run away to Mexico named Russell and Piper. Finding out they are also from Two Mills he takes them back and as luck would have it, they are the little brothers of John McNab. He stays with them off and on and reunites with Mars Bar Thompson and eventually comes to stay with Amanda Beale. Jeffrey Magee finally has a home.

Characters: Jeffrey "Maniac" Magee, Amanda Beale, Mars Bar Thompson, Mrs. Beale, John McNab, Russell and Piper, Hector and Lester, and Grayson.

Setting: Late 1960's or early 1970's Pennsylvania

Theme: Overcoming differences and prejudice

Award: John Newberry Medal 1991