Last week I visited Mrs. Cook’s fourth grade class at Farmington’s Cascade Brook School for our annual Galley Review Project. You can see the kids coming up to sample the wares, below. After my book talk and their galley grab I interviewed them to learn a bit more about what they are reading and why. Note how many kids like nonfiction titles or books with an historical element.
Kenny: What book have you liked the most this year and why?
Emma: My Sister the Vampire. It’s a great series where the mom is a vampire and the dad isn’t and one of the sisters is a vampire and the other isn’t and you won’t know right away.
Sam: The 7th Harry Potter book. I loved it because I loved the whole series.
Reese: Dungeons and Dragons books. I play Dungeons and Dragons a lot and the books really help me play better. I like that.
Brian: Dangerous Waters. Naturally, because it’s a mystery; plus it has history.
Breanna: Finally! It’s about a girl who has to wait really long to have her wishes for when she is finally going to be twelve and do all kinds of stuff she has always wanted to do.
Evan: The Minecraft Essental Handbook. It’s awesome
Many voices: Yeah!
Anna: I Survived the Nazi Invasion.
John: I Survived the Shark Attacks.
Thomas: The Percy Jackson series all the way up to House of Hades. I like mythical fantasies.
Emily: The Nancy Drew books. I just read one where a statue that looked like Nancy went missing and then she was challenged to find it. That was great.
Kenny: What books are you looking forward to coming out?
Thomas: Blood of Olympus!
Kenny: Aha.
Thomas: Definitely.
Emma: My Sister Is the Darkness. It just sounded so great.
Kenny: How did you find out about it?
Emma: I was looking for more about the My Sister Is a Vampire and found it when I was typing.
John: Can I pick a book from the ones you just brought in?
Kenny: Sure.
John: Poop Fountain!
Unidentified source: No. I want that one.
Donovan: I want Undead Pets!
Kenny: Great! What book have you read that disappointed you?
Emily: Nancy Drew and the Clue Crew/Slumber Party. It was way too easy. I figured out the mystery too soon.
Emma: Bone – the last one in the series. I just didn’t like it.
Kenny: What book has a friend recommended to you that you liked?
Anna: Raymond and Graham Rule the School. I enjoyed that one.
Caleb: The Hardy Boys. My grandmother gave me two of them. I own them myself. They’re mine.
Kenny: That’s awesome. When I was a kid I read The Secret of the Old Mill when I had a 105-degree fever. It was totally intense! I was terrified reading it.
Reese: I liked Survivor. it was about people on an island and it was really exciting!
Sam: I liked Middleworld, the first Jaguar Stones book.
Kenny: That is a good series. The Mayan Death Gods are more fun to read about than to meet.
Sam: Yeah.
Emily: My friend gave me Zombie Dogs and that was fun.
Mason: I really liked I Survived the Nazi Invasion.
Kenny: So that I Survived is a good series?
Whole class: Yeah, definitely!
Kenny: Thanks, everyone.
John: Do we get to read the books you showed us?
Kenny: Absolutely!
The “I Survived” series is a big hit in our library system!
Amanda Maciel, the editor of the “I Survived” series for Scholastic, will be delighted to hear these kids comments. Amanda was just in Omaha signing her debut YA novel, Tease, from Harper. A great read for older kids!
This article prompted me to ask my 5th Grade Library students the same questions Kenny posed. This was a great reflective interaction at the end of the year for students. We had a little fun with it as we recorded everything they said. Here are their answers:
Hesterbrarian: “AJ, want to share your favorite book from this year?”
AJ- “Ummm….you mean off my paper?” The 2014 Guinness Book of World Records. I like looking at what people accomplished.”
Aidan- “Really, yeah!” Slaps his desk. “ I like the first Fablehaven. It is a fantasy about people who go to their grandpa’s house and they don’t know that it is a secret place about monsters. I come from a family of fantasy/sci-fi readers.”
Tori- “My favorite book that I read this year is Holes. It actually felt like I was in the book in some parts.”
Shane- “My favorite book I read this year is Toward the Goal. His name is Kaka`and he is a Christian soccer player. It is about his life growing up as a Christian.”
Cal- “ Mine was the first book Wereworld series because I can imagine it all. I liked all the fighting, action, and adventure.”
AJ- “Can I go to the restroom?”
Hesterbrarian- “I guess.”
Clay- “Holes…because my family is not lucky at all. Sometimes. I am unlucky like Stanley Yelnats. I like to dig holes.”
Holly- “Holes…because it is from a kid’s perspective.”
Olivia- “ My favorite book was Warriors- The Last Hope,” because it has a lot of fighting.
It has a lot of suspense and wraps up 11 books. When I was reading them, I kept wondering when it is going to get to the end. I was really sad when I finished it.”
Ashley- “ I love Ranger’s Apprentice- The Ruins of Gorlan. I really liked it because of the action and the death that they talked about. I really like medieval times.”
Haley- “Finally because it talks about a girl who is turning 12 and I am 12.”
Katlin- “ Uhh…well…it’s hard. OOOOOOHHHHHHHH!!!! I got one!!!! I liked The Pictures of Hollis Woods because Hollis can never stay at one foster home. It has a lot of adventure and she finally gets to live with old lady.”
Ciara- “My favorite book this year is Love, Aubrey because it is sad and it gets happy in the end. It has a lot of suspense.”