Lawn Boy and Lawn Boy Returns by Gary Paulsen

From Goodreads,

"One day I was 12 years old and broke. Then Grandma gave me Grandpa's old riding lawnmower. I set out to mow some lawns. More people wanted me to mow their lawns. And more and more. . . . One client was Arnold the stockbroker, who offered to teach me about "the beauty of capitalism. Supply and Demand. Diversify labor. Distribute the wealth." "Wealth?" I said. "It's groovy, man," said Arnold.

If I'd known what was coming, I might have climbed on my mower and putted all the way home to hide in my room. But the lawn business grew and grew. So did my profits, which Arnold invested in many things. And one of them was Joey Pow the prizefighter. That's when my 12th summer got really interesting."

Goodreads - Lawn Boy

Awards:

• Oklahoma Sequoyah Award for Children (2010)

I bought this book at a resale shop and figured that it would go perfectly in my author tub labeled "Gary Paulsen" that is located in my classroom library.  I had heard about the book from a fellow teacher.  When school was out I packed some books up that I wanted to read over the summer.  I took it home, left it in the crate, and totally forgot about it.  I'm not sure what made me dig this book out, but I did.  I figured I should get it read and get it back into my classroom library so my students could get their hands on the book.

This book is about Lawn Boy who receives a riding lawnmower from his grandmother for his birthday.  He then goes and mows a yard or two, and then some more neighbors ask for their yard to be mowed, and the next thing he knows he owns a business.  Arnold helps him invest his money and they watch it pile up as he climbs the ladder to success.  Of course there are a few hiccups along the way to success, and Lawn Boy has to figure out how to deal with them.

This book was loaded with economic information.  This book would be perfect to do an economic unit with.  Students could learn how to manage and handle money in real life, and they could also learn that a little dream can turn into something big.  I like how it broke some of the tough economic language down into kid friendly terms so that they  understood what the words meant.

The book was fairly short and speedy.  It definitely didn't waste time getting down to business.  I wish that it had elaborated just a tad more on the economic business of things, but I do understand that everything happened very fast in the book and therefore there wasn't tons of time to elaborate.


From Goodreads,

"Gary Paulsen’s funny follow-up to Lawn Boy is full of big surprises and big laughs.

Lawn Boy says: The summer I was twelve, mowing lawns with Grandpa’s old riding mower turned into big business. With advice from Arnold the stockbroker, I learned all about making money.

Six weeks and hundred of thousands of dollars later, life got more complicated. You see, the prizefighter I sponsor, Joey Pow, won a big fight. And a TV interview made me famous. As Arnold says, “Capitalism plus publicity equals monster commerce.” Even my best friends wanted a piece of the action. Meanwhile, some scary guys showed up at Joey’s gym. . . ."

Goodreads - Lawn Boy Returns

This is the sequel to Lawn Boy.  I again found this at a resale shop for a dollar and purchased it so that my kids could read the two books back to back if they desired.

This book picks up shortly after where the first book left off.  While the first book talks about the rise of Lawn Boy and how he earned and multiplied his fortunes, this one really talks about the downfalls.  Lawn Boy is really trying to get out of the business so that he can be a regular kid for the rest of the summer instead of trying to run a business and sponsor a prizefighter.

I liked how this book focused on the downside of economics instead of just making and multiplying money.  I think it is good for kids to be exposed to both ends of the economic spectrum and for it to be explained in kid terms.  I also really liked how they tried to shut down the entire operation so that Lawn Boy could be a kid again, but instead they reinvested the money elsewhere so that they didn't lose everything they had put into the business.

Overall, these two books were pretty good.  They had lots of economic information in both of them that could be highly beneficial when teaching students about economics.  However, I'm not a big fan of economics and all that surrounds it, so these books were a little off from what I would typically read.  I do think that students would like these books and that it could inspire them to think about economics in their own life and how to start a business.  I give both of the books 3.5 out of 5 stars.  These would be perfect for younger students or boys who are needing a "funny" book to read.

Pictures of Hollis Woods by Patricia Reilly Giff

From Goodreads,

"Pictures of Hollis Woods In this Newbery Honor Book, a troublesome 12-year-old orphan, staying with an elderly artist who needs her, remembers the only other time she was happy in a foster home, with a family that truly seemed to care about her. "

Goodreads - Pictures of Hollis Woods

Awards:

• Newberry Honor - 2003

When I was interning I got to see a lot of amazing learning take place.  One of the amazing moments was learning that the fourth grade class was reading Pictures of Hollis Woods.  I asked the teacher what the book was about and she was shocked that I had never read it or heard of it before.  She also informed me that there is a movie version of the book.  It wasn't that big of a deal and I didn't have any desire to read the book until I started teaching 4th grade.  I figured it wouldn't hurt me to read the book, see what it is all about, and then make a decision on if we should read it together in class.  

The book bounces between the story that is taking place and the story in the past which is indicated by the pictures by Hollis chapters.  Throughout the book we learn where Hollis came from, how she became the way she is, and her talent for drawing.  This entire book is about Hollis, who is in foster care, and how her life is influenced by those around her and how she tries to find a place to fit in.  

From an educator standpoint, this book would be a great book to involve visualizing.  I would have the students illustrate the photos that Hollis draws.  It would be a good way for students to see in their head what they are reading, and then put it on paper.  This book is very visual and I really enjoyed that aspect of it.  The book also kept me guessing as to what happened at her previous foster house and why she left.  The past foster house story is weaved into the current story, which made it drag on for the entire book (which I didn't like).  

The downfall of this book, again from an educator standpoint, is that so many of my students live in situations similar, if not worse, situations than what Hollis lives/has lived in.  I would worry about this book reigniting questions or feelings that students have learned to cope with and manage because they have been shuffled from house to house.  Another thing that I didn't like was the going back and forth from present day story to past story.  That was so confusing to keep up with, mainly because I don't read chapter titles unless I'm reading to someone.  I wished I would have been given a chunk of the past and then told the present for a while and then given another big chunk.  It was just such a pain to keep up with which storyline was taking place and if we were reading present or past events.  I worry that students wouldn't pay attention to the two different writing styles and they would mix the entire book together.  

This book didn't meet my expectations and I really didn't want to finish reading the book because it wasn't interesting enough for me.  I give this 2.5 out of 3 stars.  I just expected there to be more to the story, especially since it is a Newberry Honor book.  I personally wouldn't use this in my class.  So many of my kids experience life worse than Hollis's life and I think my students need a new and refreshing look on stories and experiences in literature. 

The Hero Two Doors Down by Sharon Robinson

From Goodreads,
"Based on the true story of a boy in Brooklyn who became neighbors and friends with his hero, Jackie Robinson.

Steven Satlow is an eight-year-old boy living in Brooklyn, New York, which means he only cares about one thing-the Dodgers. Steve and his father spend hours reading the sports pages and listening to games on the radio. Aside from an occasional run-in with his teacher, life is pretty simple for Steve.

But then Steve hears a rumor that an African American family is moving to his all-Jewish neighborhood. It's 1948 and some of his neighbors are against it. His hero, Jackie Robinson, broke the color barrier in baseball the year before.

Then it happens--Steve's new neighbor is none other than Jackie Robinson! Steve is beyond excited about living two doors down from the Robinson family. He can't wait to meet Jackie. This is going to be the best baseball season yet! How many kids ever get to become friends with their hero?"

Goodreads - The Hero Two Doors Down

I bought this book to put into my classroom library in hopes that some boy, or maybe some girl, in love with baseball would find the courage to pick it up and read it.  I took it home over the summer to read and it kept getting shuffled around and pushed aside.  The next thing I knew school was closing in and I was frantically trying to get my room finished and get ready for a new set of kiddos to enter my room for a year of fun filled learning.  The second week of school I was knocked down by severe sinus pressure and I eventually gave in and went to the doctor.  He told me to take at least a day off, but he recommended taking the rest of the week.  I don't think he realized he was talking to a stubborn teacher who knew she had a job to do and knew that her students expected her to be at school.  I ended up taking a day and left notes for all my kids so they knew that I loved them.  My goal was to get as much rest as possible on my sick day.  I woke up at 6:30 and wanted to get ready to go teach my little chickens.  I couldn't go back to bed, so I started reading The Hero Two Doors Down and couldn't stop.  An hour and a half later I was finally tired enough to go back to sleep.  I ended up finishing the book that same day while I was wondering how my kids were behaving and what they should be doing in class at that particular time.

This book is about a Stephen, a young Dodgers baseball fan who is in the third grade.  He is in love with Jackie Robinson and his parents try to help him understand discrimination that is happening in the world at that time.  Soon Stephen finds out that a negro family is moving in two doors down.  He isn't interested until he finds out that a Dodgers baseball player will be living in the upstairs of the house.  Stephen continues to hope that it will be Jackie Robinson, and to his luck it is.  This book is a tale of friendship between a boy and his hero, Jackie Robinson.

I really enjoyed this book because it is based on a true story and because Sharon Robinson made it so real.  I felt like the characters were very dimensional (which technically they are since they are based on real people).  I could tell that Jackie was a loving husband and father as well as being calm and collected while being a MLB player.  And Stephen or Steve as he goes by in the book, is a typical nine year old who is causing trouble at school, spending as much time bonding with his father, and falling in love with the game of baseball.  Sharon, the author and Jackie's daughter, wasn't born when everything happened on Tilden Avenue.  She wasn't around when Steve met Jackie for the first time or when Jackie gave Steve a Christmas tree at Christmas without realizing that they celebrated Hanukkah.  However, she did an amazing job at capturing each person's character.  I also enjoyed the fact that their families still keep in touch and that she often visits Steve at his ranch in Florida.

I really wish that there had been more pictures included in this book.  I think that more students would find the book more appealing if there were more pictures of the actual people involved in the story instead of just a few black and white photographs.  Photos of key moments such as the Christmas tree incident would have made the book more realistic to students because they would be able to visually look at evidence from that day.

This book was wonderful and luckily one of my 4th grade boys took an interest and read it.  I spoke to the student and asked him what he thought.  He said the book was really good and that if he could give it more than 5 stars he would.  I give this book 5 stars as well.  I'm glad that Sharon Robinson decided to write and publish this book based on the friendship that formed between a boy and his hero.  This book really showed how inspiring Jackie was on and off the field.

Tuck Everlasting by Natalie Babbitt

From Goodreads,

"Doomed to—or blessed with—eternal life after drinking from a magic spring, the Tuck family wanders about trying to live as inconspicuously and comfortably as they can. When ten-year-old Winnie Foster stumbles on their secret, the Tucks take her home and explain why living forever at one age is less a blessing that it might seem. Complications arise when Winnie is followed by a stranger who wants to market the spring water for a fortune."

Goodreads - Tuck Everlasting

Awards:

• Christopher Award for Books for Young People - 1976
• Lewis Carroll Shelf Award - 1978
• Phoenix Honor - 1995
• Children's Choice Book Award

A friend of mine read this book with her fourth grade class as part of a large novel study they were doing.  She had talked about it periodically and I figured I should give the book a shot.  I'm not going to lie, I started this book at like 4 in the morning during the summer.  I started reading it, and was so into the book that I stayed up until 5:45 in the morning and then quickly realized that the sun was starting to come up.  I put the book down for a few hours and resumed it as soon as possible.  I finished it later that night and loved every second of it.  I wanted a second book so badly, but unfortunately one doesn't exist that I'm aware of.

The book tells the tale of the Tuck family who have unearthed a spring on accident that allows them to live forever.  They never age and they can't die.  They meet Winifred, or Winnie, who finds out about the spring.  They end up having to take Winnie in hopes she will keep the secret of the Tucks.

This book was so intriguing to me.  The idea that you could drink from a spring and live forever is mind boggling.  The Tucks insisted that Winnie not tell their secret and that she not drink from the spring.  They didn't want her to live with the curse and inability to die because of the water from the spring.  However, Jesse Tuck was trying to convince Winnie to drink some water when she was older so that she could stay the same age as Jesse for the rest of their lives.  I think this book was so interesting to me because I feel like the idea of living forever plays in everyone's mind.  To be able to be fearless and live life because you know you can't die is just a crazy thought.  I'm absolutely terrified of dying and what it feels like.  I feel that living forever would allow me to never face that, but I would also never find out what it is like to die.  This book has a strong thread of life and death that will lead to discussions with anyone.

I think my favorite part of this book was at the end when Winnie poured spring water on the toad.  The toad was present at the beginning of the book and was mentioned a few times throughout.  She ends up pouring some spring water on the toad and allows him to live forever.  I think that Winnie did this because the toad was always free and she wasn't.  I think that she saw this as a freeing act for both her and the toad.  She knew that she would forever have obligations and people watching over her, which meant that she could never really be free.  The toad obviously got to live forever as free as ever, and I like that that was Winnie's way of living forever, without actually living forever.

I really wish that there was a second book to this novel.  I'm not sure what it would even be about, but I just felt so at peace when I was reading about the Tucks and their life.  I would even be happy with a book that followed either of the Tuck boys throughout their life.  I give this book 5 stars and I'm so glad that I read it.  I'm currently searching for the Disney version of this book, but have yet to find a copy.  I'll update this post once I watch the movie.