Jerry+Spinelli

__**Report to the Principal's Office**__ Guided reading level U (5.6 Lexile of 700) First in a series (School Days Series) using the same characters, but you don't necessarily need to read this one to understand the rest. Realistic fiction, humorous tone- themes of friendship, fitting in, respect, school life and changes. Easy read, not difficult vocabulary and very relatable topics and themes. Students could practice making inferences, and discussing differences in character point-of-view, use of dialogue to create a character and move plot. I did this book as a book club this spring with a small group in my class and both boys and girls liked the story and would recommend it to others to read. Additionally, //Do the Funky Pickle (GL 5.5 GRL U), Who Ran My Underwear Up the Flagpole (GL 4.9 GRL U), and Picklemania deal with the same group of kids, setting, and themes. (Mari Kay)// __**//Crash//**__ //Guided reading level S-T, this is a great book for boys and girls. The main character is a tough football player who has learned to navigate through life by using brute force. He meets his exact opposite in first grade, a vegitarian, Quaker, and environmentalist. Crash bullies him for years. Events unfold in seventh grade that lead to this character's development with a new look on life and a new best friend. I couldn't put this book down. I cared about the characters and the story they had to tell. Themes of bullying, friendship, sports, and family. Damn and sucks were included, but fit with the voice of the character and the scene. This book will spark lots of discussion on topics that relate to our students' lives. I say this one is a keeper. (Mari Kay)// __**//Smiles// //to// //Go//**__ Guided reading level O-P, this book was not one of my favorite Spinelli books. The main character is a 9th grader that is interested in science and the logical order of things. The story begins with his upset when he learns of the death of a proton and understands that life is a temporary thing. This is dropped and we get into his newfound interest in Mi-Su, one of his best friends and budding love interest. The main portion of the book is about his plan to kiss her for the first time. When he finally does, he doesn't understand what it means to their friendship. In the very last part of the book, this storyline is dropped when his pesky little sister gets seriously hurt and is in intensive care for a long time. In the end he realizes that he loves his pesky sister. I don't really think many of our kids will be interested in this one. (Mari Kay)