Mavis JukesRezensionen

Two and a half to three stars. I read this book when I was ten, and it flew waaaaay over my head. Now, as an adult, I was curious to learn what I'd think. I wouldn't be able to relate, I guessed. And I wasn't, but not for the reasons I thought. Much is made in this book and also "I've Lost My Best Friend" by Megan Howard about the protagonists being in junior high school and how super exciting it is. I--what? I don't get the way the students are grouped, or the things they're looking forward to, especially in this book. I went to public middle school in the US, which is grades six, seven and eighth. High school is grades nine through twelve. Maybe junior high is an East Coast thing? I was born and raised in Seattle, lived here on the West Coast my whole life. I do remember a girl in a few of my classes kept insisting this was "(School Name) Junior High." Wrote it on all her in-school notebooks and papers and everything. She made it clear that she was trying to make our middle school cooler than it actually was. It was not a junior high, you weirdo. Part of it had to do with that she desperately wanted to be one of the popular girls, and instead just did this "too cool for school, I'm twelve going on twenty-five" thing It's stuff like that, that I associate with the phrase "junior high." Why would it be a reward to visit the local high school, as a junior high school student, as it was in this book? That really stumped me, especially as a kid and even now. What was the Classiest of Classes thing? My school didn't have those things. Nor were we able to design school borders. Was this school just overly permissive with a weird rewards system? Because we just went to school. Sometimes we competed with other district middle schools, and even regional ones, in choir competitions or band or orchestra and such. That was pretty much it.

A lot of this book actually made me laugh. The dialogue was snappy. I liked how much of it I remembered. That was nice. And this book is an excellent example of vivid writing that's from the POV from a confident, self-assured tween. It was refreshing to the point of being shocking, when compared to other books I'd read. I feel like tween books in the nineties had characters that acted like littler kids than they actually were, or were kind of smart-alecks who were trying to act like they were in high school already. Now that I think about it, that was accurate to my middle school too. I understood this book a lot more as an adult, and appreciated it. I thought the teachers' relationships to the kids were pretty laid-back, and was surprised at how comfortable they were with one another. The pregnancy symptoms River thinks her sister has, made me giggle a little. I get how she thinks that, but--it is not necessarily that. The way it was discussed for teens, especially in the textbook, was incredibly progressive for the nineties, and I loved how matter-of-fact the textbook was. Bravo. The kitten birth scene was gross. When I was ten, it didn't bother me. Our pug dog had just given birth to puppies at three in the morning, and my mom invited us to support the dog through it. My brothers and i got bored and played cards. My mom had been pregnant a few times with us, and was able to comfort the dog. I felt bad for awhile later for playing cards, but I understand that hey, I was a kid. Plus the dog was basically mine. I got all the cuddles and she slept in my bed up until a few weeks before her untimely death from an awful disease. Anyway, back to the book.

I have to say my favorite part was when Mr Elmo talked about Black History Month and the pilot, and saluted him. That got to me, and I was relieved that River spoke highly of the experience. I might hang onto this book. I finished it after having a weird day, and maybe the next time I read it, I will feel better. I'd definitely recommend this to my little cousins.

00000041

Fiction

This one is about a young boy bonding with his stepfather over the idea that everyone, no matter how strong and brave he looks, has something he fears.
Short but very warm and sweet, and with lovely illustrations.

http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/143468114 - Amalia said it best.

Such a refreshingly original story, combining the big message of a blended family with slice-of-life details. The artwork is lovely, but details are difficult to see, which frustrated me until I realized that's a good thing because of the shadowed nude.

And for people who don't know what the two pears in the bottle are about, um, think about how the twins grew inside the mom.

Being a good stepfather is difficult. Jake is trying, and the joy the two 'men of the family' experience when they realize they can actually have a relationship brought tears of joy to my eyes.

Perfect. Doesn't read like bibliotherapy - just a lovely story. I do think it would be a good idea to read this well *before* someone you or your child loves goes to the hospital. Frank details help it feel real, but don't overwhelm, and the colors of the sky and the images of flight give comfort and cheer.

This is an amazing book dealing with the subject of fitting in and acceptance. Carson is now i a new town where he is starting a new school and knows no one. While there,Carson's only friend is his stuffed moose, which goes by the name Moose. This book is filled with mystery and learning acceptance.Who actually stole the lunch?

Summery- this book is about a boy names Austin who goes to visit his grandmother for ten days in the summer. He is upset because his grandpa has passed away and this was the summer he was going to learn how to fly fish. One day over break he was picking blackberries down by the river. His grandmother came down in all of his grandpas old fishing gear. She had all the equipment for fly fishing and convinced Austin to learn how to fly fish even thought his grandfather couldn't teach him how to. It was starting to get late and the two of them were starting to get the hang of fly fishing when suddenly they had caught their first fish. At the end of the book Austin receives to presents from his grandmother one a doll that had been in the family for years and his grandfathers fishing knife.

I would use this book in two ways one to teach students about country living, and two to teach sequence of events.

Genre: Realistic Fiction

This is a good example of realistic fiction because the events in the story could happen today. There is a place called twin rocks creek and you could visit and go fishing there. It represents a relationship between a grandmother and grandson that is very realistic for today's time.

I really enjoyed reading this book because of the character descriptions put in place by the author and the powerful message the author conveys to readers about the importance of family and upholding tradition. This would be a perfect read for elementary students beginning the task of taking on chapter books and a text many students can relate to in terms of wanting to make someone proud. The illustrations on the cover make the readers wonder what the story will ultimately be about and results in hooking the reader both instantly and continuously throughout the book.

In the beginning Carson and his dad move to Pasadena CA. The book is about Carson starting a new public school from a private school. in Carson's class there is a kid named Weston Walker, he is a trickster and a class weirdo and big mouth. The story revolves around Carson's relationship with Wes. I liked the book because Wes is pretty bad and funny and gets sent the principal's. Wes made me laugh out loud a lot.

Summary: "Like Jake and Me" tells the story of Alex and his stepfather, Jake. Alex and Jake seem to not have much in common, however a spider lands on Jake and the two bond over trying to find the spider before it bites Jake.

Review: In my opinion, the central message of this story was that no matter how many differences Alex and his stepfather, Jake had between them, they can bond in some way. Throughout the story, Alex kept asking if Jake needed help with cutting wood and holding the ax but he didn't think he was old enough. Also, when Alex's mother encouraged him to show Jake his ballet moves, he declined because he felt like Jake wasn't the ballet type. However, through all these differences they bonded through Alex showing his bravery by helping Jake find the spider. Overall, this story was a great story that showcased a relationship between a stepfather and son.

It's a Girl Thing is a dictionary of sorts that is written with longer definitions and stories to go with each concept. It's like the handbook to get through everything that the teen years will bring a girl. The book doesn't go into too much detail to be inappropriate, but answers nearly every question about puberty and sex that anyone may ever ask. It's written with personal stories from the author in a funny way to help it from being overwhelming. But personally, I think that it is still a lot of information for any young teen to take in all at once. This could be a good tool for a parent to use as a reference when wanting to talk about specific things and as these questions are asked. But to just have a teen sit down and read this book seems like overkill. I guess it would depend on the person, but I know if I had read this in its entirety as a young teen would have disturbed me.

A comical tale of growing up and suffering through a sex education class from the viewpoint of a curious sixth-grade girl. The story is informative without being in your face with the information. I thought that it was funny and could help to lighten the mood about the changes that everyone goes through. The mind-set of the students portrayed seems very realistic to the questions and thoughts that real 6th graders would be having.

I picked this book and read it with my eleven year old cousin. I know what it's like to start middle school with all these changes so I wanted her to better understand. The changes from puberty can be scary. This book was helpful and it gave us a chance to walk about stuff she was too scared to ask about. From bras to the period to the vagina itself, I recommend this book as a connection tool to help young girls become a woman.

Moving story of a young girl taking an airplane trip to visit her dying uncle. First she imagines what she would do and write if she were a skywriter, then what she would do and say at the hospital. Lots of details of her imaginings and the subjunctive tense. Understated and lump-in-the-throat inducing. The lush colors fill pages.

-Newbery Medal Award
-1st-2nd
-A young boy and his stepfather build a relationship by working together and doing certain chores.
-This book is a good way of teaching kids how to build a relationship with their family and teaching them how to help others out. I would ask children to make a list of how they would build a relationship with their parents/guardians. I also would ask them to draw a picture of who they would help out in their own family.

A non-fiction book teaching girls about puberty and teaching them how to calmly deal with it.
This book is great, it's informative and smart. It talks about the most important things like STDs and sexual assault and even the less important things like getting a first bra and how to use sanitary napkins.
It shouldn't be used in place of a "talk" but more as a support; overall it is a very effective and useful book.

Boring book. Let me re-iterate, very boring book.

A Newbery Honor Book, but also a picture book. A boy and his stepfather grow closer when they realize they are more alike than they thought.

This is a realistic fiction book. The illustrations are done in pastels. The content of this book is about a new family in which the young boy desparately wants to be like his rugged cowboy of a stepfather. Alex rescues him from a wolf spider and the two build a great relationship. This book has a reading level of second to fourth grade. Some curricular connections could be step-parents and realistic fiction.

1. Alex wanted to help his stepfather around the house, but his stepfather always found a way to say no. His mother would entertain him, but Alex craved attention from Jake. Jake had to depend on Alex when a wolf spider got on the collar of his shirt. Alex helped Jake undress to avoid squishing the wolf spider, which would cause it to bite Jake. A wolf spider bought Alex and Jake together.

2. I liked this book because Jake finally realized that Alex is important to him. Something all parents should realize!

3. I am not sure how I would use this book in my classroom. Maybe as a way to show that, children can see things (danger) when adults cannot. Situations have a way of presenting themselves where this book might help.

"Cinderella" turned out to be a good, run-of-the-mill teen romance. It is a cute, updated version of the Cinderella story, with the heroine being named Ashley. Her good friends called her "Ashes" and occasionally someone even referred to her as "Ashbucket." Just a typical '90s girl named Ashley! Her two step-sisters were twins, only a couple years younger than she, although they acted like MUCH younger bratty little kids. The stepmother wasn't so wicked as she was immature and a little selfish. She was also jealous of Ashley, and partial to her own daughters, which meant Ashley had rather a hord time of it. The fairy godmother was Phyllis' grandmother, come to pay a visit. She immediately took to Ashley, and with her good, common sense, she started making things easier for the family almost immediately. She decides to stay in town and help Phyllis, "Who," she declares to Ashley, "needs my help badly!" In the end, in a slight plot twist, she refers to Ashley as her "Fairy godkid." The book turns out with everyone getting what they deserve, but with
a promise of "happy-ever-after" to come for all of them.

This book serves as an excellent resource which will help parents and educators effectively communicate with their adolescent daughters and students about puberty, alleviating much of the tension and discomfort surrounding this sensitive topic. Teens will appreciate Mavis’ honesty. She employs humor and simplistic language in her writing, making it a more enjoyable and accessible guide for even the most struggling readers.

Summary: It's the turn of the millenium going from 1999 to 2000. A huge dance is coming uo and everone is going to be there....everyone but me.
Review: Two thumbs-up!½

1) Newberry Award

2) Grades 3-4

3) Like Jake and Me is about a boy Alex who admires a man by the name of Jake and does all he can to help him. Jake, who is taking part in adult activities (cutting wood and carrying them) keeps declining Alex's offers to help. During the story though Alex makes Jake aware that there is a spider on his neck. Jake who is afraid of spiders is now in desperate need of Alex's help. With Alex's assistance, they were able to find the spider and let it go free. Alex finally gets the recognition he wanted from Jake and Jake is grateful for his help at the end.

4) The story Like Jake and Me can be used in a classroom in several ways. One way a teacher can incorporate this book into a classroom is to ask students about their personal role models and to explain why. Students then have to make a biography about their role model and find information about them. This assignment can help students learn information gathering skills using sources such as the internet.