Short month, short books! 6th grade February booktalks

Stolen children by PeG Kehret (realistic Fiction) Main character is Amy, a young girl who carries a huge burden of guilt surrounding the death of her father In the three months since his passing she has done everything to prove how reliable and responsible she is and has gone through babysitting training She is recommended by her teacher for a new babysitting job, watching a three-year-old named Kendra, but tragedy strikes on her first day on the job She and Kendra are kidnapped and being held for ransom How will Amy survive while protecting Kendra? Told over the course of 5 days…find out if they survive, and how Amy is able to leave clues for her loved ones.

Alice in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll This retelling of the classic story is told in the graphic novel format This format also includes great reading & writing questions at the end to extend your learning  Before the story begins, the author provides interesting facts about Lewis Carroll, the author, and his inspiration for the story Hatters (hat makers) were “mad” due to mercury poisoning Cheeses from Cheshire county, Carroll’s hometown, were molded into the shape of a grinning cat Dormouse comes from “dormeus” which means “sleepy one” These mice sleep up to ½ the year!

Blackwater by eve bunting See beginning for Blackwater River description Main character/protagonist is Brodie and his cousin Alex is spending the summer with him Alex has a pretty tough life (has been exposed to gangs, single mom who is not around often) Brodie’s life is the opposite-great parents and his crush Pauline has agreed to go out with him When on an early morning mission to teach Alex to swim Brodie spots Pauline on Toadstool Rock with another boy, Otis Brodie is furious so he swims out to scare them…but something much worse happens What happens when you make a mistake? Do you admit it? Cover it up? See what Brodie decides to do in Blackwater by Eve Bunting

Booked by Kwame alexander Nick Hall’s life revolves around family, friends, and soccer He is an 8th grade soccer phenom His mother is a horse trainer while his father is a linguistics professor (the scientific study of language and its structure) who makes him read the dictionary he wrote called Weird and Wonderful Words like Verbomania (a crazed obsession with words) and onomatophobia (the fear of hearing certain words) Nick’s life is great until: his mom accepts a job far away, his parents separate, and his appendix bursts during an important game How will Nick survive life? With help from Mr. Mac, school librarian extraordinaire, and his best friend Colby Fast-paced, funny, and full of rich vocabulary…no soccer knowledge required!

Brown Girl Dreaming by Jacqueline woodson National book award & newbery honor award Told in verse (poetry) this book tells stories from the author’s own childhood Born February 12th, 1963 during the Civil Rights movement, she lived in both the North and the South Explores what it was like to grow up during a time where segregation was still in existence Jacqueline also shares how much she struggled in school, nothing like her “brilliant” older sister She has a love of storytelling and writing that started before she could even put pen to paper & her teachers and family encouraged her along the way Excellent historical memoir & perfect February read in celebration of African American History Month