Text Set: Series Books Featuring Strong Girl Characters for Transitional Readers

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I love finding great new books for early chapter book readers. The stage of reading that typically happens in grades 2-4 is such fun and it often the stage where readers discover a series they fall in love with. I love discovering new series and new series book characters that may hook reader at this age. This week's text set focuses on series books featuring strong girl characters. Maybe you'll find a new series or two to add to your home, classroom or school library!

I was so happy to get to know Ryan Hart last year in Ways to Make Sunshine. The second book in this series Ways to Grow Love was just released a few weeks ago.  I could not be happier to see Renée Watson writing for this age. The character is one you'll fall in love with right away. These books are just under 200 pages so perfect for early middle grade readers. 

I have been waiting for Jo Jo Makoons: The Used-To-Be Best Friend since I saw it mentioned by Debbie Reese. From the new Heart Drum imprint, this new character made me smile from the first page.  Jo Jo is in first grade and this book is just 80 pages long with illustrations throughout. Jo Jo is an Ojibwe girl. Author, Dawn Quigley is a member of the Ojibwe nation. I can't wait to read more books about Jo Jo --she is a great new character who had me laughing out loud a few times! 

I heard Erin Entrada Klly ead from this book at a webinar a few months ago so I have been anxiously awaiting Maybe Maybe Marisol Rainey that will be part of a series.  Marisol is a great character who is a bit scared of all things. There are plenty of illustrations throughout that add to the story. I love that young readers will be introduced to Erin Entrada Kelly at a younger age and then maybe grow into her other books.  This is one that would make a great read aloud! 

I love anything by Grace Lin and I was so glad to see the new covers on The Year of the Dog and this whole series a few years ago. Pacy is a great character and this series is a bit more difficult than the others on the list.  I had lots of 3rd, 4th and 5th graders who have loved this series.  Again, I love that Grace Lin has a series that might introduce readers to her middle grade books --then they go on to read all of her others.  

I love anything Shannon Hale and LeUyen Pham. One of my favorite duos in children's lit. I have loved Princess in Black since the first book was released and I am so happy that it is still going strong. This is the perfect series for new-to-chapter-book readers.  Great stories, just enough humor, amazing illustrations and stories that young readers can hold onto over time.  

This week's books were linked at Cover to Cover Children's Bookstore. If you are looking for a fabulous independent children's bookstore to support, this is an amazing one. We are lucky to have them in Central Ohio!

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Boy, Were We Wrong!

Boy, Were We Wrong About Dinosaurs!

Boy, Were We Wrong About the Solar System!

Boy, Were We Wrong About the Weather!

Boy, Were We Wrong About the Human Body!

I've been using the dinosaur book in this series since 2008 (thank you, Amazon purchasing data for that factoid). It's my go-to book at the beginning of the year when we unpack our misconceptions about scientists (not always wild-haired men working in labs) and the work they do (scientific thinking changes over time as scientists use the/a scientific method to gather data and test theories). After reading this book to my class, I have always made the point that science isn't "finished," that there will be plenty of discoveries left for them when they grow up to be scientists!

Somehow I missed using the dinosaur book at the beginning of the year this year, but I tucked it in as a #classroombookaday. Because of the strong community around this hashtag on Twitter, I was alerted to the other books in the series. I borrowed them from the library, but they are now on my Wish List, awaiting the possibility of holiday gift cards. The solar system book and the human body book will align nicely to our 5th grade standards, and the weather book will be a nice review before our state tests! Win-win-win-win for science and the perfect books for my classroom library!

Early Chapter Book: Joe and Sparky Get New Wheels

As I've mentioned before, I've been reading lots of books to prepare for my move to 3rd grade in the fall. I've been focusing on series books but I also know that many of my readers will need more support that the popular series chapter books provide.  This week, I found an easier beginning early chapter book series Joe and Sparky published by Candlewick and read Joe and Sparky Get New Wheels by Jamie Michalak.  I'm so glad to have discovered this series--I think it will be perfect for some of my incoming students!

Joe and Sparky are pretty fun characters who are fun to read about. In this story, this turtle (who likes to hide in his shell) and giraffe (who loves an adventure) go out of their cageless zoo on a car ride adventure.  It is full of fun surprises.

The sentences are simple so transitional readers should have lots of success with text. This book supports young readers in lots of ways. The humor is sophisticated enough to keep readers engaged. The characters stay true to character and there is lots of inferring to do. There is lots of picture support but also lots that has to be comprehended from text only.  Readers have to hold onto the plot of the story in a very minimal way so this book is perfect for readers new to chapter books.

I am excited about this series and hope to pick up a few more. My test for books like this is my own engagement--if I enjoy the characters and story well enough to stay engaged, I am set and I truly enjoyed these characters and their adventure. So I am confident, this is a great series for my students. 

Series Books for 3rd Grade: Violet Mackerel's Brilliant Plot by Anna Branford

I read a review of a Violet Mackerel book and added it to my list of series books that I have somehow missed. Well, I read Violet Mackerel's Brilliant Plot and I am so glad I discovered this series! Violet Mackerel is for sure one of my new favorite characters. I just called Cover to Cover to order the rest of the series.

I fell in love with the book on the very first page.  There were many times in the book when the writing reminded me of Cynthia Rylant, one of my favorite authors of all time.  The story begins like this:

Violet Mackerel is quite a small girl, but she has a theory.

Her theory is that when you are having a very important and brilliant idea, what generally happens is that you find something small and special on the ground.  So whenever you spy a sequin, or a stray bead, or a bit of ribbon, or a button, you should always pick it up and try very hard to remember what you were thinking about at the precise moment when you spied it, and then think about that thing a lot more.  That is Violet's theory, which she calls the Theory of Finding Small Things.

Violet Mackerel is the kind of girl who has lots of important ideas. She is the kind of girl who wears her pajama bottoms under her skirt. She is the kind of girl who creates brilliant plots!

I love Violet Mackerel and can't wait to read more about this great character!

Series Books for Third Grade: Lulu by Hilary McKay

Someone recommended the Lulu series to me and when I noticed that Hilary McKay was the author, I immediately ordered one. I read Lulu and the Duck in the Park (Book 1).  I am happy about this new series as I think it will be a great one for primary students.  There are lots of things I like about this book:

-I love the main character Lulu.  The author lets you get to know Lulu quickly and she is a fun character with lots of spunk.

-I love the supports for readers who are new to chapter books. The print is large and the illustrations support the text.

-The writing is what you would expect from Hilary McKay--well crafted:-)

-Hilary McKay lets you know some of the other characters well which I love.

-The story is well developed and perfect for readers new to following a longer/chapter book length story.

There are only two books out about Lulu but I am hoping we see more about this character soon1

Series for Third Grade: Goofballs by Tony Abbott

I have been spending time reading some series books that I've somehow missed as I get ready to move to third grade in the fall.  One series that was recommended was Goofballs by Tony Abbott.  This is a mystery series. I am not always a fan of mysteries for younger readers because I think they are really hard to do well for this age.  I read the first book in the series: Goofballs #1: The Crazy Case of Missing Thunder last week. I was pleasantly surprised at how much I enjoyed this series and how much I think it is perfect for 3rd graders. There is the perfect amount of humor and enough clues for readers to pick up on their own without making the mystery too obvious.

The Goofballs are 4 kids who work together to solve mysteries.  There are two boys and two girls who work together to find mysteries, wear disguises, and have a fun time together.  There is humor and word play throughout the books that are perfect for this age.

The language is classic detective language. I'm not sure the kids will pick it up but it is very well done and the simple sentences are a great support for readers newer to chapter books.

I am so excited that I discovered this series. It is a great series for readers new to mysteries--I never seem to have enough mysteries to recommend to this age but I'll definitely be recommending these.

This series is fairly new (2012) with 4 books out so far. The 5th is due out in August. I just bought the next three and am thrilled to add these to my classroom collection!

Books for 3rd Grade: Galaxy Zack

I will be moving from 4th grade to 3rd grade next year. One of the things I have not kept up on in my reading life is series books.  I knew moving to 3rd grade, that I'd need to read lots of newer series books to be able to put the right books in the hands of my students next year. When my doctor said I could start "light" reading, I figured this was the perfect time to read the books I'd missed out on. So I put out a tweet asking Twitter friends for recommendations of new series books or other titles that I should read. Of course, they came through with great titles and these have been perfect "light" reading for me over the past 2-3 weeks.

I tend to read the first one or two books in a series so that I know what to expect in terms of content, text complexity, etc.  One of the series I have newly discovered is GALAXY ZACK by Ray O'Ryan. This is a fun series that I think will appeal to lots of kids.  The format and text of this series reminded me a bit of the Stink series. The plot/content reminded me a bit of The Jetsons!

The first book, Hello, Nebulon! (Galaxy Zack) sets the stage for the series.  The series is set in the year 2120 and Zack and his family are moving from Earth to a planet called Nebulon. Kids will love the idea of space travel, the gadgets used in the book, and the universal feelings one has when moving to a new place.

It looks like there are 2 books available in the series with a 3rd coming out today. 3 more are due out later this summer/early fall. So, by the end of the year, there should be 6 books for kids who fall in love with this series.  This is a fun series that I am excited to add to my classroom library!

Frankly, Frannie: Principal for the Day

Frankly, Frannie: Principal for the Day
by A.J. Stern
illustrated by Doreen Mulryan Marts
Grosset&Dulap/Penguin Young Readers, 2011
review copy purchased for my classroom library

Frannie Miller (Frankly B. Miller, when she's being professional) loves work and all the trappings that go with it -- briefcase, resume, glasses...you name it. But she's a big-picture kind of girl, and the details of all the jobs she's tried out in this series have tripped her up with calamitacious results.

Now Frannie has (remarkably...I mean...what are they THINKING??) won the Principal for the Day essay contest at her school. Based on her track record for muddling up the world of work, Principal Wilkins has enforced a strick "three strikes, you're out" policy.

How fast can you count to three? In the beginning it's interrupting classes. In the middle, it's the copy machine, and in the end, it's the most beautiful red, shiny box Frannie has ever seen.

That Frannie!

Favorite Series: Frankly, Frannie

Frankly, Frannie: Funny Businessby A.J. Stern
illustrated by Doreen Mulryan Marts
Penguin, 2010
review copy purchased for my classroom library

Franki turned me on to this series last year. Frannie is a great character who is easy to love. She's dying to be grown up, and so she carries her briefcase, resume, and business cards wherever she goes, and she's always on the lookout for a job to try out.

In this book, Frannie and her parents are going to Florida, "where it's summer all the time!" For her father, it's a business trip, and Frannie is going to get to go to "Princessland."

At least once in every book, Frannie either misunderstands directions (or doesn't hear them in the first place), or does what she thinks is right in a situation...with disastrous results. The first Frannie moment in this book has to do with room service and the second happens when Frannie is helping her father at his conference. You just have to shake your head and marvel at Frannie's parents' patience. Things always turn out in the end, and through it all, Frannie has a really good heart.

Why I love this series:
1. Frannie's made up words (confusified -- when Frannie's parents saw the room service, hundredteen -- the number of silver platters, scoldish -- Frannie's mom's tone of voice).
2. Frannie's attitude towards work -- every job, every career sounds like the most fun ever.
3. Frannie's parents -- the most patient parents in the world!

Favorite Series: Dragonbreath

Dragonbreath: Lair of the Bat Monster
by Ursula Vernon
Dial Books, 2011
review copy purchased for my classroom library

I love this series.

Maybe we should start with the three reasons I love this series:
1. The humor. (This reason encompasses characters, setting, plot, plot twists, a magic bus that isn't driven by Ms. Frizzle, and recurring themes -- "Can it skeletonize a cow in under two weeks?" They are all FUNNY!!)
2. The way every book is better than the one before it.
3. The design of the book. (This reason encompasses size, shape, illustrations, colors, and its hybrid graphic novel-ness.)

So. That pretty much covers it. I love everything about this series.

In this installment, Vernon blends graphic novel, fantasy novel, humor, and NONFICTION ABOUT ENDANGERED RAIN FORESTS AND RAIN FOREST ANIMALS AND MAYAN MYTHOLOGY all in one book. Brilliant, no?

Danny Dragonbreath and his sidekick Wendell rescue a bat from the swimming pool. They ride the magic bus to the rainforests of Mexico, where Danny's cousin Steve is trying to discover a new species of bat in order to save bat habitat in the rainforest. Steve teaches them about the bat they saved, and then invites them to see the bat cave he's discovered. They see the bat cave, with bats pouring out of it at dusk, but something odd happens -- all the bats fly back into the cave.

"Something burst out of the trees.

...it was huge. It wasn't an animal sort of huge, it was the huge he associated with cranes and bulldozers and building equipment.  The elephants at the zoo were big, but this was the size of a house, and it wasn't moving like anything he'd ever seen.

Then it stepped forward, and he thought of a gorilla the size of a building, like King Kong, because that was how it moved, big shoulders and arms crashing down, and smaller hindquarters swinging forward.

Except that it wasn't a gorilla.

'Holy crud,' breathed Danny. 'it's a bat.' "

Turns out, it's Camazotz (Mrs. Camazotz, to be exact) of Mayan Mythology fame. And she grabs Danny to keep as her pet. And Steve and Wendell have to save Danny. And Wendell is a self-proclaimed scaredy cat. ("They had a system. Danny was fearless and Wendell was terrified, and it worked out between them.")

And now I'm going to stop writing so you can go get the book and read it for yourself.

Favorite Series: Columbus Zoo Books For Young Readers

Colo's Story: The Life of One Grand Gorilla
by Nancy Roe Pimm
forward by Jack Hanna
School Street Media, 2011
review copy purchased for my classroom

Isn't there always one student in your class who wants to be a zoologist when they grow up? If you're lucky enough to live in a city with a fabulous zoo, like the Columbus Zoo and Aquarium, that child can fuel his passion with visits to the zoo, zoo camps, and best of all, the possibility of volunteer work when he gets older.

In between trips to the zoo, there are now three books in the Columbus Zoo Books For Young Readers series (see my review of Frenemies for Life and Beco's Big Year). In the newest book of this trio, local author Nancy Roe Pimm has written a fabulous biography of the Columbus Zoo's gorilla matriarch Colo. But it's more than just a biography of one special animal, it is a history of the impact of one gorilla on the growth of the Columbus Zoo into a world-class zoo, research facility and conservation partner. In fact, Colo and her children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren have influenced zoos, gorilla research and gorilla conservation world-wide. Pretty impressive, when you consider her birth -- the first zoo-born gorilla in the world:

"When Warren Dean Thomas found a newborn gorilla barely alive on the floor of her mother's habitat at the Columbus Zoo more than five decades ago, no one really understood the profound influence this tiny baby would have."

Why I love this series:
1. It's about animals at our local zoo.
2. They are written by local authors.
3. They are filled with fabulous photos.

Favorite Series: Fox and Hen

Fox and Hen Together
by Beatrice Rodriguez
Enchanted Lion Books, 2011
review copy provided by the publisher

The surprise in Chicken Thief (a PW Best Book of 2010), the first book in this trilogy (watch for Rooster's Revenge in September), is that when the fox steals the chicken, the outcome is happily ever after and not chicken feathers at the corners of fox's mouth. In this book, Chicken leaves Fox in charge of her egg while she goes out to catch a fish for dinner. The adventure that ensues for Chicken takes up the rest of the book, except for the part at the end where there's a surprise with that egg.

I'm not telling. Sorry. You'll have to read it for yourself.

Why I love this series:
1. It's more than just the Fox and the Chicken, it's a whole series of wordless books that Enchanted Lion is doing called Stories Without Words. (see also my review of ICE by Arthur Geisert)
2. The size and shape of the books -- they are different from other books -- long and skinny.
3. Wordless picture books are "just right" books for EVERY reader in my classroom.

Favorite Series: Lunch Lady

Lunch Lady and the Bake Sale Bandit
by Jarrett J. Krosoczka
Alfred A. Knopf, 2010
review copy purchased for my classroom

When all the sweets for the bake sale disappear after a sudden power outage, Lunch Lady and her sidekick Betty gather clues and identify suspects. Meanwhile, the Breakfast Bunch (and Orson, the safety patrol nerd) are kidnapped by Brenda, the evil bus driver. In the climax of the story, it's Buszilla vs. the Lunch-cycle. In the end, "Justice is served." "And baked goods." The bake sale is back on, and so is the field trip to the museum...which looks to be the next adventure for Lunch Lady (Lunch Lady and the Field Trip Fiasco, due out September 2011).

Why I love this series:
1. The art. The style fits the story perfectly.
2. Lunch Lady's curses: "Greasy Bacon!" "Porridge!" "Brussel Sprouts!"
3. The whole idea of the lunch lady as super hero. Doesn't this mean that ANYBODY might have super powers? ANYBODY could save the world and the bake sale?

Favorite Series: Stink

Stink and the Ultimate Thumb-Wrestling Smackdown
by Megan McDonald, illustrated by Peter Reynolds
Candlewick, 2011
review copy purchased for my classroom

Stink gets a U on his report card in Phys Ed, and his parents make him take up a sport. He considers (in the first comic of the book) Pogo Badminton, Tuna-Tossing, Cheese-Rolling, and Unicycle Hockey. After watching some sports on TV, he rules out slow-pitch softball and golf as "BOR-ing" and "WAY-boring," and he throws out seven other sports before he finds thumb-wrestling. (is that sport or "sport"? and you can find this on the sports channel? for real? yet another reason why we don't have cable...) Unfortunately, Stink's parents don't buy into thumb-wrestling as a sport, but karate gets the okay.

If you know Stink, you know that the discipline of karate doesn't come easy, although the kicking and smashing and yelling do. When Stink uses his "calm as a pool of water" at the library to tame the rambunctious reading dog, you know he's on his way to success.  In the climax of the book, Stink is going for his yellow belt, AND his Shark Hammersmash goes up against T-Rex Wasabi in the Ultimate Thumb-Wrestling Thmackdown.

Why I love this series:
1. The illustrations and comics.
2. The way Stink and Judy banter. (" 'Stink, you lie like a guy with a booger in his eye.' " and " 'Prove it like Nancy Drew.' ")
3. Kids who love the series, but who have outgrown it, still read the new ones as they come out. This means that there is no stigma about reading Stink. It's not an "easy" book, it's a funny book with a great character.

Confessions of a Series Junkie

I took one look at my to-be-read-before-school-starts (kids start in just over a week -- eep!) pile and I think there's no point in denying it: I am a series junkie.

A Fabumouse School Adventure

by "Geronimo Stilton"

copyright 2009 in the U.S. by Scholastic

#38 in the series

I haven't read all of these, but I thought it would be a good idea to read one to refresh myself on the series. Incoming 4th graders are often comforted to find a tub full of Geronimo Stilton (along with the entire Magic Tree House series in the two tubs next to Geronimo Stilton). That's one of the best things about series reading: the comfort factor. But lest the faithful reader get bored with the series, out comes a variation on the theme. Case in point:

Thea Stilton and the Dragon's Code

by "Geronimo Stilton"

copyright April, 2009 in the U.S. by Scholastic

This seems to be the first Thea Stilton ("Geronimo Stilton Special Edition"), with another coming out in September and another in March. (On a side note, it looks like Geronimo Stilton is going to break into the graphic novel market next week with Geronimo Stilton #1: The Discovery of America.)

Thea Stilton is Geronimo's sister. In this sub-series, she is all grown up and back at her alma mater, Mouseford Academy, teaching journalism. Five of her students make up a mystery-solving, adventure-loving group called The Thea Sisters. In this book, they solve the mystery of a disappearing classmate.

Crown of Horns (Bone #9)

by Jeff Smith

Scholastic, 2009

This is the final book in the Bone series. But end of series does not necessarily mean last book. (see above: "switch it up" factor) Now we've got the series prequel, in which we see how young Princess Rose (later known as Gran'ma Ben) got started:

Rose

by Jeff Smith

illustrated by Charles Vess

The Bone books are enormously popular in my classroom, and because of that, I see it as my obligation to stay current with the series. (or, alternatively, "I am a series junkie.") The first month or two of school, lots of my readers immerse themselves in graphic novels. Some may be "picture reading," but as long as we can talk about the basic plot and the characters, that's okay with me. After these reluctant text-readers have lived in my classroom for a month or two, they've had a chance to see that all kinds of reading is valued there: easy, challenging, graphic novel, wordless, picture book, poetry, and on and on.

With The Light: Raising an Autistic Child, Volume 2

by Keiko Tobe

Yen Press/Hachette Book Group USA, 2008

Back in January of 2008, when I discovered the first volume of this series, I declared it "Required Reading." Recently, I spotted volumes 2-4 on a bookstore shelf, but our public library only has volume 2. I'll be putting in a request that the other volumes be purchased.

These 500+ traditional manga (reads right to left) graphic novels give the reader a glimpse into the struggles and joys of a family learning to understand their autistic child, Hikaru. The first volume was birth through early elementary years. Volume 2 is "Later Elementary Years."

Missing Trilogy #02: Sent

by Margaret Peterson Haddix

Simon and Schuster Children's Publishing

August 25, 2009

(this one is on my to-be-ordered list since it can't be on the to-be-read pile quite yet...)

I had the good fortune to read the first book in this trilogy just last week -- that means I don't have long to wait to read the second book! (unlike the wait for Suzanne Collins' third book in the Hunger Games trilogy...)

So there you have it. Proof positive that I am a series junkie. Excuse me now. I need to dig in and get caught up with my stories!