Tag Archives: fiction

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Sideways Stories from Wayside School by Louis Sachar

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Sideways Stories from Wayside School by Louis Sachar is a wonderfully quirky book that takes you on a wild ride through one of the strangest schools you’ll ever encounter. Built 30 stories high, this school is anything but ordinary. Each chapter is its own little adventure, introducing eccentric teachers, imaginative students, and some downright bizarre situations, like Mrs. Gorf, the teacher who literally turns her students into apples!

One story that stuck with me is about Leslie and her pigtails. It’s a hilarious yet touching look at what it means to stand out and embrace your differences. It reminded me of moments in my own life when I had to stay true to myself, even when it wasn’t easy.

This book is perfect for anyone who loves stories that are both funny and meaningful. It’s packed with wacky humor but also has moments of real heart, especially when it touches on themes like friendship and acceptance. If you’re a fan of imaginative stories like The BFG, you’ll absolutely love Sideways Stories from Wayside School. Whether you’re reading it for the first time or revisiting it, this book is pure joy from start to finish, you won’t want to leave Wayside!

Shelly Shub PJ141

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Book of a Thousand Days – Shannon Hale

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Book of a Thousand Days is a retelling of the Grimm fairy tale Maid Maleen set in medieval Mongolia. The novel follows Dashti, maid of Lady Saren, as she tries to keep herself and her mistress alive during a seven-year-long imprisonment. After Lady Saren’s refusal to marry an abusive suitor, her father sent both the Lady and her maid to live out 1000 days in recluse. Days blend into nights and weeks become years. But as food supplies quickly diminish with the arrival of rats, Dashti must find a way to break free from their tower and protect her mistress who has long given up hope of ever escaping her prison.

Shannon Hale, through the diary form, gives a powerful voice to Dashti, a strong, confident, dutiful young woman who carries her story beautifully. As readers experience Dashti’s story through her point of view, we follow her through every hardship and every success as they shape her person.  Book of a Thousand Days is a beautiful bildungsroman which masterfully unites a Eurocentric story and the Central Asian steppes. It reminds us that our duty must always first be to ourselves, then to others. Courage and bravery allows us to survive and fight for what we believe in.

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Mr. Popper’s Penguins by Florence and Richard Atwater

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Mr. Popper’s Penguins by Florence and Richard Atwater was published in 1938. It is a classic heartwarming children’s chapter book that explores the themes of family, friendship, and adventure. This book invites readers into the life of Mr. Popper who is a house painter interested in Antarctic expeditions. Mr. Popper’s life takes an unexpected turn when a package arrives at his home bringing joy and happiness into his life. 

Summary

The story begins with introducing Mr. Popper who is a resident of a small town called Stillwater. Mr. Popper is a house painter who lives a normal life until he receives an unexpected gift from the Antarctic explorer, Admiral Drake. The gift turns out to be a penguin which Mr. Popper names Captain Cook. Mr. Popper and his family learn to care for the penguin and create a living space for it in their basement. However, they realize that Captain Cook is lonely and contacts the zoo for a companion for Captain Cook. The zoo sends a female penguin named Greta and this resulted in more penguins in the Popper’s household as Captain Cook and Greta have a family of their own. With the many penguins Mr. Popper transforms his house into a winter wonderland to accommodate the penguins. One day Mr. Popper decided to turn his home into a performance venue for his penguins to share their talents so he can make some money. The act grew popularity and Mr. Popper and his penguins are able to go on tour.

My Thoughts

Mr. Popper’s Penguins is a creative and imaginative book that I enjoyed reading. I found the story humorous, adventurous and heartwarming at times. I liked how the story highlights Mr. Popper’s bond with his penguins and the joy and warmth that is brought into his household. Mr Popper went from living a normal calm life to a chaotic and comical one. I believe this book has a timeless appeal, despite the book being written in 1938, it continues to fascinate readers of all ages because of the humorous situations Mr. Popper comes across. As a child I enjoyed watching the movie and now reading the book it is interesting to see how different the book is compared to the movie.

Recommendations 

I would recommend this book to children in grades 4-6 because the themes and language are more suitable and accessible. However, because the book is very humorous and adventurous it can also be enjoyable for younger children if it is read aloud. If you enjoy adventure and comedy books with an engaging storyline then you would definitely enjoy this book!

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Wish

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The book “Wish” by Barbara O’Connor is a novel that follows the story of an 11-year-old girl named Charlie Reese. Charlie struggles with abandonment issues, as her mother left her and her younger sister, and her father is often absent. Despite these challenges, Charlie maintains a hopeful spirit and believes in the power of wishes.

The narrative takes a turn when Charlie meets a stray dog named Wishbone. As she forms a bond with the dog, she also befriends Howard who is a boy from a wealthy family. The trio embarks on a journey of self-discovery, friendship, and understanding. Through their adventures, Charlie learns about the complexities of family, friendship, and the importance of empathy. The novel is a celebration of the strength that lies within every individual, reminding us that wishes can come true, even in the most challenging circumstances.

What I like about this novel is that it encourages readers to reflect on the significance of hope and the magic that can be found in unexpected situations. Since the main character in this book is 11 years old, I would recommend this book for a grade 5 or 6 class so that students can feel a connection with the main character.

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Anne of Green Gables by Lucy M. Montgomery

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Lucy M. Montgomery’s Anne of Green Gables is a novel that touches on the themes of childhood, friendship, imagination, loss, and trauma. Anne, an orphan, is inadvertently adopted by Marilla and Matthew Cuthbert, two siblings living on a farm in Prince Edward Island. Although Anne is not the male orphan that Marilla and Matthew Cuthbert were expecting, Anne ends up playing a significant role in their lives. Anne confronts and is challenged by social relationships and differing settings in Avonlea. This young girl offers new views, courage, imagination, and inspiration to readers to similarly confront varying social situations like Anne. The protagonist allows readers to connect, challenge, and sympathize with her as she progresses from childhood to adolescence. Montgomery is expertly able to deliver a combination of sentimental, serious, and humorous scenes with each chapter revolving around an event or a situation that Anne or another character is faced with. Readers actively engage with each chapter telling a story that can relate to situations in their own lives. Anne of Green Gables is a valuable novel for young readers since it allows them to become immersed in Anne’s world and observe the protagonist’s interactions with others that normalizes mistakes along with growth.

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A Little Life by Hanya Yanagihara

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A Little Life by Hanya Yanagihara is not just a book, but an experience that leaves a profound and lasting impact on the readers. The story follows the lives of four college friends in New York: Willem, an aspiring actor, JB, the artist, Malcolm the architect and finally Jude the enigmatic lawyer. Their friendship deepens through decades with unwavering support and devotion to Jude, who is deeply damaged from past traumas and suffers through endless pain and resilience.

With the exploration of profound themes, character developments, and raw human emotions, Yanagihara does not hold back on the journey of true suffering and devastation. As an empath, this book was heartbreaking and extremely hard to read, but the intricacy of the characters’ lives and their narratives resonated with me, ensuring that through all the sufferings, there is still a shining light on the resilience that resides within all of us.

I will recommend this book to adult readers who can tolerate graphic depictions of difficult and intense topics. If you are feeling sad, or down, or just want to have a good cry, give this book a try!

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Book Review on Richard Wagamese’s “Indian Horse”

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Wagamese’s Indian Horse is an integral coming-of-age novel that everyone should come across, especially those in high school to post-secondary education. However, there should be a trigger warning of sexual assault. In this book, the main character Saul Indian Horse takes you on a journey in his personal life as an Ojibway battling through the cruel and dehumanizing tortures in an Ontarian Catholic residential school, St. Jerome’s. Saul decides to share his story in a written format using the first-person narrative. This is ironic, as storytelling through oral communication is known to be a tradition, especially to those of Indigenous descent. The irony here shows that Saul is engaging in the tradition of Western literature. Back to the story: in this book, we experience a narrative about family loss, the toxic residential school system in Canada, it’s abuses to both Saul and other children, integrating into the white-dominated sport of hockey, personal and inter generational trauma and racism, and alcoholism. This text is a great educational source for students to learn about the history of Indigenous oppression. If you’re interested to discover how Saul survives the traumatic experience at St. Jerome’s and finds familial comfort in foster parents, then this book is for you!

-Niki Anastasakis, JI 0132

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The City of Ember

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Many hundreds of years ago, the city of Ember was created by the Builders as a last refuge for the human race. Two hundred years later, the city is slowly running out of power and supplies, and the lamps that light the city are slowly beginning to flicker. When the protagonist, Lina, finds part of an ancient message, she’s sure it holds a secret that will save the city. She and her friend, Doon, must race to figure out the clues before Ember becomes engulfed by darkness. Lina and Doon could be Ember’s last hope. Can they decode the message left by the original Builders? Will the city trust the duo to lead them to safety in the outside world?

The City of Ember’s protagonist, Lina, was one of the first protagonists I felt that I could connect to on a personal level from a young age. Determined to venture into the unknown, Lina’s bravery and urgency to save her city stood out to me. This futuristic fantasy is what would eventually lead me to my interest in Dystopian fiction, and allow me to re-imagine society, and the future of humanity, in different ways as a result of human causes.

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The Twits by Roald Dahl

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The Twits is a fantasy fiction novel written by Roald Dahl, illustrated by Quentin Blake, published in 1980. It is a fascinating read about a grumpy, old couple: Mr. and Mrs. Twits, who despise and prank each other, but continue to live together. The story takes place in The Twits home, resembling a prison. It is interesting to observe the extents to which the couple is willing to go for revenge. They are defined as hideous and mean, and express disregard to the feelings of all those around them and carry their cranky and grouchy mood wherever they go. It was funny to see the strong hatred towards big beards, which you will understand once you dive into the book. My favourite part was when the characters took charge of the situation, retaliated, and fought for what was rightfully theirs. I loved how all the diverse characters came in unity despite their differences to support one another and I was able to relate to this because when something mournful like a death, COVID striking, or a need was addressed at church, as friends and a youth group, we were there for each other and those in need and I think that is beautiful. I recommend this book to anyone that likes a light, humorous, and irony-filled read and the recommended grade range for this book is between grades 3-5.

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Coraline by Neil Gaiman

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Coraline is a fictional book about a young girl who has recently moved with her parents into the second floor of an apartment. She gets to meet several of her neighbours with quite interesting personalities. Coraline often feels lonely and bored despite her parents being at home. As she tries to engage with them, her efforts are often met with dismissals. One day, as Coraline is exploring her new home, she comes across a suspicious door that opens up only to show a brick wall. As Coraline is lying in bed one night, she hears a mysterious sound coming from down the hall. Curious to find out what the sound is, she begins walking towards it. She comes across the door from the previous day and opens it, but this time, the bricks are gone. Here is where Coraline’s adventure begins. On the other side of the door, she finds a space that looks eerily similar to her own apartment. She sees and meets people very similar to those from her own apartment. Eventually, she meets two individuals who look and sound much like her own mother and father. These people; however, look slightly different as they wear signature black buttons in place of their eyes. Coraline finds herself enjoying the company and attention she is receiving from her “new parents” and begins to spend more and more time in this alternate world. With every chapter that passes; however, she slowly begins to realize that not everything that glitters is gold. 

Coraline is a great read if you enjoy being transported into a world filled with alternate realities and adventure. Not only is the book filled with a diverse set of characters, but I find that it utilizes language that showcases the power of imagery and descriptive details. Themes of bravery and gratitude can be explored in depth as readers navigate their way through the book. They can also put themselves in Coraline’s shoes and discuss how they would feel and what they would do if they were in her place. I would recommend this book for readers eight years old and above as well as those interested in fantasy with a very friendly dash of horror.

PJ Lin (PJ151)

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The Borrowers by Mary Norton

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The Borrowers, a fantasy novel by Mary Norton, features a family of tiny people who live secretly inside human houses called the borrowers. The Clock family – Pod, Homily and their teen daughter Arrietty live under the house clock. Every so often, Pod crawls out from under the floor and brings back borrowed items from the “human beans” that live upstairs. Small objects like safety pins, blotting paper, buttons, stamps help them create their tiny home and live comfortably.  As Arrietty gets older, she too joins Pod to learn the art of borrowing. They must be extra careful though; Pod had already been “seen” by the new boy visiting upstairs and they could not risk being discovered and having to emigrate out of their perfect home. But Arrietty is not as careful, nor is she as scared. What happens when she bumps into the boy on one of their borrowing trips? Read The Borrowers to find out!

I loved reading how The Borrowers made use of the little things that seem so common to us. From the small details to the crafting of each character, the story reveals strong themes of social class, friendship and growing up. I recommend this book to anyone who enjoys a fantasy story and is looking to discover a new world!

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The Land of Stories – You’ll Get Lost in this Book… Literally.

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Many of us have grown up reading the stories of Little Red Riding Hood, Jack and the Beanstalk, and Goldilocks, but have you ever thought about what it would be like to actually meet them?

The Land of Stories: The Wishing Spell, by Chris Colfer, is a magical story about two twins, Alex and Connor, who find themselves lost in one of their childhood storybooks. Suddenly they are immersed in a world that they thought was merely fiction; a world filled with princesses and princes, bandits and big bad wolves. The twins set out on a journey to find their way home before it’s too late. Along the way, they meet fantastic characters, go on endless adventures, and even risk their own lives in the process. As they travel through the kingdoms and forests, the twins learn valuable lessons about how to deal with pain and loss, facing your fears, never giving up, and so much more.

One of my favourite quotes is, “It’s easier to hate, blame, and fear than it is to understand” (p. 380). Every day, we hear horrific news about people being hurt, harassed, and mistreated, simply for being different. This quote reminds us that instead of fearing and hating those who are unlike us, we must work to understand them. Moving forward as an educator with a social justice lens, it is crucial that we teach this mentality to our students. We must celebrate diversity and learn from one another – in and out of the classroom.

If you like fantasy, especially fairy tales and Disney, you will love this book!

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Bridge to Terabithia by Katherine Paterson

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Bridge to Terabithia is a classic 1977 novel by Katherine Paterson, which falls under the genres of children’s literature, realistic fiction and fantasy. It explores the story of Jess, who boy faces constant struggles with multiple aspects of his identity, and Leslie, a girl with a spectacular imagination who refuses to conform to the norms. Jess struggles to gain approval from his neglectful father, while he struggles with his artistic and creative hobbies which his father thinks make him a “sissy.” He strikes up an unlikely friendship with Leslie, a fearless and creative girl who is quite the opposite to Jess. The pair spend increasingly more time together in a secret fantasy island called Terabithia, where they escape from the perils of the real-world using their imagination. Through their friendship, Leslie begins to help Jess break down his mask using creativity and art, and Jess begins to discover more of the real him.

I felt a strong connection with Jess’s struggles to meet his family’s expectations, and I empathized strongly with his need to mask his true desires in order to conform to the images that other’s have constructed of him. Since my family unfortunately does not view fine arts as a viable career choice, myself and other young people in my family had to forfeit our passions in pursuit of a more “stable job”; thus, I strongly related to Jess in this way.

If you enjoy reading Bridge to Terabithia, then you might like Holes by Louis Sachar. Holes is another coming of age novel that mixes adventure and friendship, and explores the power of fate and past events.

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Percy Jackson and the Olympians: Lightening Thief by Rick Riordan

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Rick Riordan’s Percy Jackson and the Olympians: The Lightening Thief is a whirlwind of adventure. The young adult fantasy fiction

The Lightening Theiftells the story of a young Percy Jackson as he grapples with the news that he is the son of Poseidon, god of the seas. After traveling to a mysterious camp with half-bloods such as himself, he must learn to hone his skills and talents and go on a quest to save his mother from the clutches of Hades, retrieve Zeus’ lightening bold and save the world from a war between the Gods.

My favorite part of this book is the language and the writing style of the author. Because this book in in first person past-tense, Riordan needs to really embody the language and the thoughts of a 12 year old which I feel that he has done splendidly with not only their characterization and their humor as well. I think this book does a great job showing the themes of courage, having faith in oneself and learning how you weaknesses can be your strength.

If you like Percy Jackson and the Olympians: The Lightening Thief, then I recommend the book Tiger’s Curse by Colleen Houck for those that loved the adventure, the gods but would like a little more romance in their life.

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Holes

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Stanley Yelnats has a problem… he’s been wrongfully convicted of stealing a pair of shoes! Given the choice between juvenile detention and Camp Green Lake (a camp where troubled kids go to “build character”), Stanley chooses Camp Green Lake. Little does he know, there hasn’t been a lake there for years, and the way kids build character? By digging holes all day in the boiling hot sun! Follow Stanley and the eccentric cast of Green Lake boys as they dig holes for the evil camp warden, and see what secrets they discover about the camp, and themselves along the way!

The special friendships developed in the story reminded me of my own friendship with my bestie! As I was reading I thought about how my friends are always there for me, and in turn, I strive to be the kind of person who’d move mountains (or climb them…) for a friend. Would you go to the same lengths for a friend as Stanley does in this story? Read to find out!

Louis Sachar’s “Holes” is a novel about friendship, race, literacy, justice and mending old wounds. Readers in Gr. 4+ are sure to enjoy this incredible adventure story.

Read (and liked) “Holes” already? Then you might also enjoy “The Hatchet,” by  Gary Paulsen. It’s another fantastic adventure story about self-discovery and resilience.