Some brief book reviews...

Ok, a few posts ago I said that I would be reading a WHOLE BUNCH this semester and it's very true. In the last 6 weeks of school I've read about 8 books so here is a run down! I only have time for one or two right now, but more will come eventually!

A Long Way from Chicago by Richard Peck

This book was mostly boring for me, but I could see younger kids getting into it. This is at a fourth grade reading level and the set up of the novel is actually pretty cool. Each chapter is another summer, over the span of one week, where the main characters Joey and Mary Alice go to southern Illinois to visit their grandmother for that week. Silliness ensues because Grandma is a bit of a spitfire and the stories are set in the late 20's and early 30's so there are all kinds of historical references to Charles Lindburgh, WWI, the Depression, etc., which would be very useful if it was read in English class while the kids were learning about the 20's in History class. The stories are clever, and I think the only reason I was really bored was because it was so simple to read. Anyway, I'd give this book about a 3/5

Tears of a Tiger by Sharon Draper

I liked this book a bit more and actually read it all in one sitting which I love doing. This is a great book for reluctant readers because it is a multi-genre sort of piece. There is no real narration in the book, but rather conversation drives the plot. When we get inside a character's head it is usually through a letter or a note passed in class instead of narration. Each chapter is a different type of medium through which we understand the characters and their motivation. Another reason why this is a novel for reluctant readers is because the main plot centers around a drunk driving incident that leads to a student's death and the aftermath of that death for the driver of the car. I would give this one a 3.5/5