Book Reviews

The following book reviews were written by the second graders awhile ago, but I thought I'd share them on our blog.  I hope you enjoy them and maybe even discover a new book that you might want to read.

I Need My Monster, Reviewed by Maddie Pettis
Do you like monsters?  Well, if you do, this is the perfect book for you!  This little boy, Ethan, needs his monster, but his monster Gabe has gone fishing for a week!  What will Ethan do?  All sorts of monsters start showing up, but they don't work for a substitute monster.  My favorite part in this story is when a girl monster comes and she has a bow on her tail.  She looks more like a giant slug with a bow on her tail!  I think people who are scared of monsters should read this book because this book is REALLY funny and it could make people who are scared of monsters NOT scared of monsters.  The pictures are really funny too!  But will Gabe ever come back?  You will have to read the book to find out!

I Need My Monster, Reviewed by Eme Horvath
I liked the funny part when a female monster comes under the bed.  What happens next?  Find out what happens next.

Mrs. Watson Wants your Teeth, Reviewed by Rosayla Gonzalez
On the first page this little girl is so excited to go to school but...a second grader tells her that Mrs. Watson wants to take someone's teeth.  Will Mrs. Watson take someone's tooth?  My favorite page was when the little girl lost her tooth.   She thought Mrs. Watson was a 300 year old alien.  That was so, so, so funny!

The Curious Garden, by Sydney Szmyt
In this book, there is a boy named Liam who loves to explore.  Even on the darkest, rainiest days you could find Liam splashing around.   My favorite part is when Liam explores the railroad.  I recommend this book to young children who love to explore.  Read this to find out what Liam finds on the railroad.  Oops, and my favorite illustration is on the last page.  Can't tell you anymore, sorry.

I Need My Monster, Reviewed by Ryker Willer
This book is about a little boy who has a monster, but instead of staying under his bed, Ethan's monster, named Gabe, went fishing.  All of the substitute monsters did not work for Ethan.  It is really funny when Mack pops up; you should see his tongue, it is really long!  It is really funny.  Read this book to find out if Gabe returns.  I would recommend this book to people who like monsters.

Mrs. Watson Wants Your Teeth, Reviewed by Jayden Guzman
Will Mrs. Watson take the little girl's teeth?  Who knows?  I would tell you more but I can't.  You will have to read the book to find out.  My favorite part was when her teacher went over to her and the little girl said, "NOOOOOO!"  Why did I like that?  Because it was funny.

Guinea Pigs, Reviewed by Kaytlyn Cornett
Guinea pigs have different colors.  They have no tail.  They have sharp claws.   Bunnies have tails, mice have tails.  Some guinea pigs have long hair.  You have to feed them.  They like vegetables.  (It keeps them healthy.)  I would give this book to someone that likes guinea pigs and if you have a guinea pig you can follow the rules in this book.

Mrs. Watson Wants Your Teeth, Reviewed by Ryan Patten
Has anyone ever told you something that's not true just to scare you?  Because in this book a second grader tells a first grader that her teacher is a "three hundred year old alien with a purple tongue".  My favorite part is when her tooth popped out...in the teacher's hand!  It was so funny.  When the tooth came out she yelled, NOOOOO!  I would recommend this book to dentists because it is a book about teeth.

I Need My Monster, Reviewed by Alessandro Serlin
In this book a little boy Ethan needs his monster to go to sleep, so he goes to the ground and knocks and a monster named Herbert comes out from under Ethan's bed.  BUT Ethan wants a scarier monster so Ethan sends Herbert back under his bed.  I would recommend this book to anybody who likes funny monster books.  My favorite part is when Gabe comes back from fishing and scares Ethan.

I Need My Monster, Reviewed by Will Chamberlin
Can you believe Ethan needs a monster to go to sleep?  In the beginning, Gabe, the monster goes fishing and four substitute monsters come.  My favorite part is when the girl monster comes.  I would recommend this book to first graders and kindergartners because they are usually silly.  He he he.

Migrant, Reviewed by Marguerite MacDonald
Do you like animals?  This little girl, Anna, loves animals.  Sometimes she feels like a bird because she goes from one place to another.  ("What would it be like to stay in one place", she wonders.)  Sometimes she feels like a jackrabbit because she has to go to old homes that do not belong to her family.  I can't tell you anymore.  But I can tell you this, my favorite part is when she imagines that she is a kitten. I can also tell you this, I recommend this book to people who like animals.

I Need My Monster, Reviewed by John Browne
In the beginning Ethan gets up.  Ethan doesn't see his monster.  Ethan wants his monster.  He gets substitute monsters.  It does not work.  My favorite page is when a girl monster has a bow on her tail.  People who like funny books will like this book.

Mrs. Watson Wants Your Teeth, Reviewed by Walter DeSanctis
The first grade girl was so happy for school and this other girl told her that Mrs. Watson is an alien who takes teeth.  She was so scared that she just wanted to see her cat.  She really wanted to see her mom and dad too.  My favorite part was when she was so scared because it was a funny part.

I Need My Monster, Reviewed by Hauken Gala
The monsters name is Mack.  He has a long tongue and hair on his chin.  Ethan's laughing because he has a big tongue.  Gabe helped him to to sleep. My favorite part is when there was a slug monster that had a bow.  This is my favorite part because of the bow because the monster looks funny.  I recommend this book to my mom because she likes it when I read to her.

Fox on Wheels, Reviewed by Buzz Ford
Did your brother or sister pick on you if you got hurt?  Louise got hurt and Fox said "Oh no!"  Louise pretended to get hurt and Fox did whatever Louise said.  My favorite part was when she fell off the ladder.  This book is for brothers or sisters.

I Need My Monster, Reviewed by Cierra Kozak
Ethan needs his monster.  He finds a note, "Gone fishing.  Back in a week.  Gabe."  Ethan got out of bed and knocked on the floor.  Then other monsters came but they weren't the right ones for him.  But then Gabe came back and finally the boy went back to bed.  My favorite part is when Mack came with his tongue sticking out.

I Need My Monster, Reviewed by Grace Jenkins
Are you scared of monsters under your bed?  I'm not scared of monsters under my bed!  So Gabe has left a note under Ethan's bed.  It says, I have went off fishing, see you in a week. Gabe!  "What am I going to do without Gabe?", Ethan said.  Then he heard a noise under his bed.  It was the first monster Herbert!  "Hello, I'm your substitute monster."  "Listen Herbert , said Ethan, you are not going to be my substitute monster."  He was gone in a flash.  There there was another noise under the bed.  It was the second monster Ralph.  "Ummm Ralph, do your nails have nail polish on them?", asked Ethan.  "Why yes", said Ralph.  "You are not the right monster for me."  So Ralph was gone.  Then he heard another noise under the bed.  It was Cynthia, the third monster.  Then some other monsters came later.  Will Ethan ever get Gabe back?  You will have to find out and read it!  My favorite part is when Mack came because he has a really long tongue and it's really funny!  I recommend this book to kids who like monsters.

Mrs. Watson Wants Your Teeth, Reviewed by Jordan Porter
This book is about a little girl who was told that her teacher was a 300 year old alien with a purple tongue who wants Earthling's baby teeth.  That makes the little girl really scared so she keeps her mouth closed.

As you can see, Mrs. Watson Wants Your Teeth and I Need My Monster are among our favorites.  The humor in both of these books is engaging and appealing to young readers who can relate to two issues that are close to them.

Happy Reading!

Big Thanks to the Horvath Family!

We had a wonderful walking field trip today to the Horvath's home to learn about the process involved in making maple syrup.  There was a moment that it was like a picture book; sunny skies, a blanket spread out with 19 curious little minds sitting and listening to Mrs. Horvath read a book about maple sugaring, while sipping hot chocolate, and watching the wood smoke drift into the sky as the smell of boiling sap began to fill the air.  What a fun day!

We got to see the sap flowing from the trees and even got to empty the sap buckets.  Then we were treated to a little taste of fresh maple syrup before each getting our own little bottles and a great coloring book.

I was very proud of how respectful the entire class was and it was so much fun to watch them having such a great time.  I hope that you all get to enjoy some pancakes, french toast or waffles this weekend.

Thank you to Mrs. Hill and Mrs. Patten for accompanying us on our walk today.

Thank you so much to the Horvath Family!