Joey Pigza Loses Control
Author: Jack Gantos
Genre: Realistic Fiction
Summary: This book is about a boy named Joey Pigza and his visit with his father. He lives with his mom because his father is an alcoholic, but he is recovering and now the court said Joey needed time with him. Joey has ADHD or some type of hyperactivity disorder, which requires him to wear a patch to help keep him calm. However while visiting his dad his dad starts drinking again and throws all of Joey’s patches down the toilet. At first Joey tries to function, but at his baseball game where his dad puts a lot of pressure on him to throw a perfect game he loses control, runs away and calls his mother. His mother drives to come get him and Joey does not tell his father he is leaving because he was freaking out and really scared Joey. However Joey forgot his dog Pablo but he was outside of his dad’s house and Joey got him and said goodbye to his grandma who always knew what was best for him but her son wouldn’t listen to her.
Characters: Joey, mom, dad (Carter), grandma, Pablo (dog), and Leezy ( Dad’s friend)
Setting: Pittsburg
Plot: Story about a boy visiting his father for the first time after many years.
Theme: Joey, Family, Family problems
Author: Jack Gantos
Genre: Realistic Fiction
Summary: This book is about a boy named Joey Pigza and his visit with his father. He lives with his mom because his father is an alcoholic, but he is recovering and now the court said Joey needed time with him. Joey has ADHD or some type of hyperactivity disorder, which requires him to wear a patch to help keep him calm. However while visiting his dad his dad starts drinking again and throws all of Joey’s patches down the toilet. At first Joey tries to function, but at his baseball game where his dad puts a lot of pressure on him to throw a perfect game he loses control, runs away and calls his mother. His mother drives to come get him and Joey does not tell his father he is leaving because he was freaking out and really scared Joey. However Joey forgot his dog Pablo but he was outside of his dad’s house and Joey got him and said goodbye to his grandma who always knew what was best for him but her son wouldn’t listen to her.
Characters: Joey, mom, dad (Carter), grandma, Pablo (dog), and Leezy ( Dad’s friend)
Setting: Pittsburg
Plot: Story about a boy visiting his father for the first time after many years.
Theme: Joey, Family, Family problems
Owl Moon
Author: Jane Yolen
Genre: Realistic fiction
Summary: Owl moon is about a little girl and her Pa going owling. The little girl tells the story of the time they went and what owling includes. She said you have to be very quite to see the owls. At their first stop they did the owl call and got no response. They kept walking then came to another spot where Pa did the owl call, but this time an owl called back! They found the owl and just stared at it, then returned home under the owl moon.
Characters: owls, pa, little girl
Setting: Woods
Plot: A little girl going owling with her pa.
Theme: bravery, owling, spending time with family, special moments
I Can Be Anything
Author: Jerry Spinelli
Genre: Realistic Fiction
Summary: This book is about a child thinking about what he wants to be. However the things that he is listing are not normal things you would think of. He list things like a cheek-to-cheek grinner, a make-believe critter, and a gift unwrapper. At the end of the story he decides he is going to be everything.
Characters: Little boy
Setting: Yard
Plot: Dreaming about what you want to be when you grown up.
Theme: Future, dreams
Ramona Quimby, Age 8
Author: Beverly Cleary
Genre: Realistic Fiction
Summary: This
story is about Ramona Quimby, her family, and her adventures in the third
grade. Her family is all going through changes in their life, her dad is going
back to school, her sister Beezus is going to junior high, and Ramona is going
to third grade and gets to ride the bus all by herself. Ramona’s life in third
grade is a sticky one, she thinks her teacher believes she is a nuisance, and
has to deal with a boy who likes to pick on her who she nicknames yard ape. Her
life becomes worse when she cracks her “hardboiled egg” on her head and finds
out that it was not hardboiled! Then she throws up in front of her class and
believes her teacher really hates her. However her life at school turns around
when she must present her book report and she does a very entertaining and
funny one, her teacher loves her, and tells her that she loves her and she is
not a nuisance. Ramona job in the family is to entertain Willa Jean when she
goes to the babysitter’s house after school, which is a task and Ramona finds
it annoying since she is so young. In the end Ramona and her family are all
happy and although their life can be messy they wouldn’t want it any other way!
Character: Ramona,
Beezus, Mom, Dad, Mrs. Whaley, Willa Jean, Yard Ape, Howie (friend)
Setting: School,
Quimby’s home
Plot: The life
of the Quimby Family
Theme: third
grade, family, school
Superfudge
Author: Judy Blume
Genre: Realistic Fiction
Summary: This book
is all about Peter Hatcher and his family. He thinks his life is annoying
enough with his pesty little brother fudge, but then his parents tell him that
they are having a baby. Peter is very mad and wants to run away because he does
not want another baby like Fudge. However Peter adjusts to his new life and his
new little sister Tootsie. A few months go by and his parents decide that they
are going to move to Princeton for a year and leave their hometown of New York.
Once again Peter wants to stay but then after his parents talk to him they
convince him to move. Peter gets to Princeton and actually likes it, he makes a
new friend named Andy, and they go into worm business for Mrs. Muldor. He also
has a crush on a girl named Joanne. Throughout the year the family goes through
many ups and downs including Fudge running away with his friend Daniel. In the
end the family decides that it is best to return to NYC because his dad misses
his job and they all just miss the city.
Characters: The Hatcher Family: Peter, Fudge (brother), Tootsie(sister), Anne (mom),
Warren (dad), Turtle (dog), Uncle Feather (myna bird)
Others: Alex (friend from
Princeton), Jimmy (friend from New York), Henry (elevator man), Joanne (crush
from Princeton), Shelia (“Friend” from New York), Daniel(friend of Fudge), Mrs.
Muldor (worm Lady), Beverly Muldor (works at art Gallery, Giraffe Neck), Frank
Fargo (Jimmy’s dad and artist)
Setting: Princeton, New York, Hatcher’s houses in both cities, School in
Princeton
Plot: Family
dealing with a normal life and dealing with the changes that may come their
way.
Theme: The Hatcher Family, Change
When I was Young in the Mountains
Author: Cynthia Rylant
Genre:
Realistic Fiction
Summary: When I Was Young in the Mountains is about a little girl recalling all
the things her family did while she was growing up in the mountains. She tells
us about the good times and the funny times, as well as the family routines,
and her experience at church. At the end of the story she states that she never
dreamed of going anywhere else because she was so happy with her life in the
mountains.
Characters: Narrator, brother, grandma, grandpa, Mr. and Mrs. Crawford (store
owners)
Setting: Mountains
Plot: A little
girl recalling her childhood life of growing up in the mountains and never
wanting to be anywhere but there.
Theme: memories,
being content and happy with your life
Junie B. First
Grader (at Last!)
Author: Barbara Park
Genre:
Realistic Fiction
Summary: Junie B. First Grader (at Last!) is all about Junie B and her ups and
down in Mr. Scary’s class. On the first
day of school Junie B. is very nervous about school, until she realizes her
best friend from last year Lucille is in her class. However Lucille already
made new best friends and told Junie they could no longer be best friends. Then
her bus buddy also decides to sit with a new girl on the bus instead of Junie.
This is when Junie meets Herb, a boy who sits in front of her in her class and
is also on her bus. They decided to be bus buddies and Junie really likes him
and thinks they will be friends. One day
in class Mr. Scary tells the students to draw pictures understand or really see
what words are on the boards. Then when the students are showing Mr. Scary
their pictures Junie realizes she did read the word wrong. Mr. Scary realizes
this and tests her sight, then sends her to the nurse. Here Junie discovers she
will need glasses, the next day she goes to the eye doctor and gets her
glasses. She is really nervous to show her class, but one day during show and
tell she works up the nerve to show her class. However when she walks to the
front of the class and puts them on some students start to laugh! Herbert runs
to the front of the class to defend Junie he tells the class her glasses are
great and that she must have extra special eyes if she needs glasses. The class
then agrees and then tells her how cool her glasses are! Through the help of
Herbert Junie realizes first grade won’t be too bad.
Characters: Junie, Mom, Dad, Mr. Scary, Lucille, Herbert, Camille and Chenille
(Lucille’s new twin friends), Mr. Scary, Grace (Bus buddy), Bobbi Jean Piper (
Grace’s new bus buddy), Jose (sits near Junie), May (teacher’s pet, always
telling on Junie), Lennie (sits near Junie, has spiky hair)
Setting: Mr. Scary’s room
Plot: Junie
B.’s life in first grade.
Theme: first
grade, glasses
A Sick Day
for Amos McGee
Author: Philip C. Stead
Genre:
Realistic fiction
Summary: This book is about a man named Amos McGee who works at the zoo. He does
special things with each of the animals in the morning, plays chess with the
elephant, races the tortoise, sits with the penguin, whips the rhinoceros’s
nose and at sunset reads stories to the owl. One day however Amos wakes up and is
too sick to go to work! All the animals are sad and worried for their friend so
they go to Amos house and take care of him like he takes care of them every day.
Amos starts to feel better thanks to the help of his friends and they all fall
asleep.
Character: Amos, elephant, tortoise, penguin, rhino, owl
Setting: Zoo, Amos house
Plot: Story
about a devoted zoo worker who one day becomes sick and can’t go to work and
care for the animals.
Theme:
friendship, being sick
Diary of a Wimpy Kid
Author: Jeff Kinney
Genre: Realistic Fiction
Summary: The Diary of a Wimpy Kid tells us
about the life of Greg who is a kid in middle school. The book tells us all
about the troubles he and his best friend Rowley get into. It also tells us
about Greg’s family, which includes his mom, dad, older brother Rodrick who
loves to pick on Greg, and his annoying little brother Manny who is very
spoiled. The book tells us about things that happen at school, such as Greg and
Rowley becoming part of the safety patrol, Greg and Rowley ending their
friendship over the comics placed in the school news paper, and Greg and Rowley
becoming friends again. At their school there is a piece of cheese that has
been on the ground for a while, the kids at the school will not come near a person
who has touched the cheese. Rowley and Greg made the kids in high school mad on
Halloween, so months later they came back for revenge! They make Rowley eat the
gross cheese, the next day at school all of kids realize it is gone, but Greg
takes the blame and says that he was tired of seeing it on the ground so he
moved it. This in turn makes Rowley and Greg become friends again, but no one
in school will come near Greg.
Characters: Greg, Rowley, Mom, Dad, Rodrick,
Manny, Fregley (strange neighbor)
Setting: Greg’s house, school, Rowley’s
house, the neighborhood
Plot: Greg’s sixth grade experiences.
Theme: friendship
The Dot
Author: Peter H. Reynolds
Genre: Realistic Nonfiction
Summary: The Dot is about a little girl name Vashti,
Vashti cannot draw and is very frustrated when art class is over and there is
nothing on her paper. Her teacher comes over and tells her to try and make a
mark and see where it takes you. She makes a dot signs her name and leaves the
class. Then when she goes to art another day her dot is framed on the wall! She
looks at it and says I can make a better dot then that! She starts off making
dots and mixing colors to make a better dot then her first one. Her pictures
are beautiful and they are put into the art show. A little boy comes up to her
and tells her she is a great artist and she wishes he could draw like her.
Vashti gives the boy the same lesson and encouragement her teacher gave her.
Characters: Vashti, art teacher, little boy
Setting: School
Plot: A little girl names Vashti discovering her
unknown talent.
Theme: art
The Runaway Bunny
Author: Margaret Wise Brown
Genre: Realistic Fiction
Summary: The Runaway Bunny is about a little bunny who tells his mother that he is going to run away! His mother tells him that she will always chase after him because he is her baby. The bunny says he will become a fish so his mother can’t catch him, but his mother will become a fisherman to fish him out of the sea. The little bunny keeps listing all these other things that he will become but for every one of them his mother has something she will be so she will always catch him or be with him! The little bunny realizes at the end that he might as well just stay where he is because his mother will always find him!
Characters: Mother, Little bunny
Setting: woods
Plot: Story about a little bunny who wants to run away but changes his mind at the end because no matter what he says his mother finds a way to be with him
Theme: running away, love of parents
Love you Forever
Author: Robert Munsch
Genre: Realistic Fiction
Summary: This book is all about a mother and her son. Each night the mother goes into her sons bedroom and rocks him to sleep. She does it from birth all the way until the son is fully grown. When the son is fully grown the mother goes to his house and climbs in the window and rocks him to sleep. The mother gets to old for this so the son starts going to the mothers house and rocking her to sleep.
Characters: Mother and son
Setting: Mother's house and Son's house
Plot: A mother tell her son how much she loves him each and every night
Theme: A parents love.
Butterfly Kisses
Author: Bob and Brooke Carlisle
Genre: Realistic Fiction
Summary: This book is about a father and daughter's love for one another. The story starts out with the daughter being young and her dad and her doing butterfly kisses every night. The book ends at the daughter's wedding with her dad walking her down the aisle.
Character: Father and Daughter
Setting: House
Plot: A father and daughter's love and their traditions.
Theme: bond between fathers and daughters, traditions.
Bad Dog Marley!
Author: John Grogan
Genre: Realistic Fiction
Summary: This story is about a family and their new dog Marley. Marley starts out as a cute innocent puppy but then grows and becomes a bad dog! He grows and grows, and the more he grows the more he eats! He eats everything in sight that he is not supposed to eat! Although Marley is a bad dog the family loves Marley.
Characters: Marley, Mommy, Daddy, Cassie, Baby Louie
Setting: Family's House
Plot: A story about a family and their bad dog Marley.
Theme: Family, Dog
Marley Goes to School
Author: John Grogan
Genre: Realistic Fiction
Summary: Marley missed his best friend Cassie. He wants to go to school with her but is told he must stay in the backyard. However Marley escapes and finds his way to school! While looking for Cassie he gets in all kinds of trouble! Finally he finds his best friend Cassie!
Characters: Marley, Cassie, Daddy, Principal
Setting:Cassie's School
Plot: Marley and his adventures finding Cassie!
Theme: Friendship between a dog and his owner, trouble
Marley and the Kittens
Author: John Grogan
Genre: Realistic Fiction
Summary: Marley is so excited that the family got two new kittens! He tries to make friends with them and to imitate what they do. However Marley is much bigger then the kittens and whenever he tries to imitate them he ends up in trouble! Marley is afraid that he is loosing his number one spot as favorite pet, until the kittens are put into danger and Marley saves the day!
Characters: Marley, The kittens, Daddy, Mommy, Cassie, and Baby Louie
Setting: Home
Plot: Marley and the kittens new friendship.
Theme: Friendship
I like Myself
Author: Karen Beaumont
Genre: Realistic Fiction
Summary:This story is all about a little girl who likes being herself. She likes everything about herself both the good and the bad! She tells readers she loves herself because "I am Me." Great book for children struggling with self esteem issues!
Characters: A little Girl
Setting: Little girls house and town
Plot: A little girl telling readers why she loves being her!
Theme: Acceptance and loving yourself!
Blubber
Author: Judy Blume
Genre: Realistic Fiction
Summary: This book is about a girl named Linda who is getting teased by her classmates because she is a little bigger then them. The children are so mean to her, they write blubber in her driveway, steal her coat, make her strip, along with calling her names and doing many other mean and hurtful things to her! In the end one of the bully's stands up for Linda and then the children pick on Jill for doing this. Great book to look at for children to see how hurtful bullying can be!
Characters: Jill, Linda, Caroline, Wendy, Tracey, Kenny, Jill's parents, Tracey's parents, Linda's mom, Rochelle, Bruce, Mr. Machinist, Mrs. Minish
Setting: The children's school, Jill's home, Tracey's home, around the town where the children live
Plot: A class of fifth graders bullying one student.
Theme: Bullying, friendship
Author: Margaret Wise Brown
Genre: Realistic Fiction
Summary: The Runaway Bunny is about a little bunny who tells his mother that he is going to run away! His mother tells him that she will always chase after him because he is her baby. The bunny says he will become a fish so his mother can’t catch him, but his mother will become a fisherman to fish him out of the sea. The little bunny keeps listing all these other things that he will become but for every one of them his mother has something she will be so she will always catch him or be with him! The little bunny realizes at the end that he might as well just stay where he is because his mother will always find him!
Characters: Mother, Little bunny
Setting: woods
Plot: Story about a little bunny who wants to run away but changes his mind at the end because no matter what he says his mother finds a way to be with him
Theme: running away, love of parents
Love you Forever
Author: Robert Munsch
Genre: Realistic Fiction
Summary: This book is all about a mother and her son. Each night the mother goes into her sons bedroom and rocks him to sleep. She does it from birth all the way until the son is fully grown. When the son is fully grown the mother goes to his house and climbs in the window and rocks him to sleep. The mother gets to old for this so the son starts going to the mothers house and rocking her to sleep.
Characters: Mother and son
Setting: Mother's house and Son's house
Plot: A mother tell her son how much she loves him each and every night
Theme: A parents love.
Butterfly Kisses
Author: Bob and Brooke Carlisle
Genre: Realistic Fiction
Summary: This book is about a father and daughter's love for one another. The story starts out with the daughter being young and her dad and her doing butterfly kisses every night. The book ends at the daughter's wedding with her dad walking her down the aisle.
Character: Father and Daughter
Setting: House
Plot: A father and daughter's love and their traditions.
Theme: bond between fathers and daughters, traditions.
Bad Dog Marley!
Author: John Grogan
Genre: Realistic Fiction
Summary: This story is about a family and their new dog Marley. Marley starts out as a cute innocent puppy but then grows and becomes a bad dog! He grows and grows, and the more he grows the more he eats! He eats everything in sight that he is not supposed to eat! Although Marley is a bad dog the family loves Marley.
Characters: Marley, Mommy, Daddy, Cassie, Baby Louie
Setting: Family's House
Plot: A story about a family and their bad dog Marley.
Theme: Family, Dog
Marley Goes to School
Author: John Grogan
Genre: Realistic Fiction
Summary: Marley missed his best friend Cassie. He wants to go to school with her but is told he must stay in the backyard. However Marley escapes and finds his way to school! While looking for Cassie he gets in all kinds of trouble! Finally he finds his best friend Cassie!
Characters: Marley, Cassie, Daddy, Principal
Setting:Cassie's School
Plot: Marley and his adventures finding Cassie!
Theme: Friendship between a dog and his owner, trouble
Marley and the Kittens
Author: John Grogan
Genre: Realistic Fiction
Summary: Marley is so excited that the family got two new kittens! He tries to make friends with them and to imitate what they do. However Marley is much bigger then the kittens and whenever he tries to imitate them he ends up in trouble! Marley is afraid that he is loosing his number one spot as favorite pet, until the kittens are put into danger and Marley saves the day!
Characters: Marley, The kittens, Daddy, Mommy, Cassie, and Baby Louie
Setting: Home
Plot: Marley and the kittens new friendship.
Theme: Friendship
I like Myself
Author: Karen Beaumont
Genre: Realistic Fiction
Summary:This story is all about a little girl who likes being herself. She likes everything about herself both the good and the bad! She tells readers she loves herself because "I am Me." Great book for children struggling with self esteem issues!
Characters: A little Girl
Setting: Little girls house and town
Plot: A little girl telling readers why she loves being her!
Theme: Acceptance and loving yourself!
Blubber
Author: Judy Blume
Genre: Realistic Fiction
Summary: This book is about a girl named Linda who is getting teased by her classmates because she is a little bigger then them. The children are so mean to her, they write blubber in her driveway, steal her coat, make her strip, along with calling her names and doing many other mean and hurtful things to her! In the end one of the bully's stands up for Linda and then the children pick on Jill for doing this. Great book to look at for children to see how hurtful bullying can be!
Characters: Jill, Linda, Caroline, Wendy, Tracey, Kenny, Jill's parents, Tracey's parents, Linda's mom, Rochelle, Bruce, Mr. Machinist, Mrs. Minish
Setting: The children's school, Jill's home, Tracey's home, around the town where the children live
Plot: A class of fifth graders bullying one student.
Theme: Bullying, friendship
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