The Sixth Grade Nickname Game by Gordon Korman

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


Gordon Korman does a great job of thinking like a kid. In this book, he takes the universal theme of boys fighting over a girl, couples it with Shakespeare's question, "What's in a name?" and produces a funny outcome. Of course, the real hero is Cassandra, but the two boys learn that their friendship is a bigger prize than any girl. A great read-aloud for upper elementary/6th graders. It really fits into my class, because our geography teacher gives each student a nickname. I can really run with this novel as a theme/idea starter.

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A Year Down Yonder by Richard Peck

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


Richard Peck is a great ya/children's author. He writes this novel, and it's prequel from the point of view of Joey and Mary Alice Dowdel who spend time with their grandmother in her small Illinois town. As everything is seen through the eyes of the kids, the action and motivations of Grandma are not always clear. In this novel, Mary Alice spends a year during the Depression living with Grandma to save her parents money. She has many adventures with Grandma Dowdel, an imposing woman in both size and personality, who has eyes in the back of her heart.

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