The Lions of Little Rock

by Kristin Levine

Summary:
It's the beginning of the school year in 1958 in Little Rock, and Marlee is not excited about it.  She's not much of a talker you see, and this year she starts middle school, with teachers she's never met before, who probably will want her to talk. But on her first day of school she meets Liz, a new student who becomes her best friend.  But when it's revealed that Liz is actually African American, both girls have to learn to stand up on their own and force those around them to realize that perhaps race shouldn't be a reason to dislike a person. 

Review:
Lions of Little Rock is a book about great courage.  Both girls demonstrate remarkable maturity throughout the book, even when those around them tell them they are in the wrong for being friends.  The book is set during the height of the civil rights movement, the year after the Little Rock 9 had been allowed to attend a 'whites only' school.  The book explains the hatred and fear that spread through the communities regardless of their views, and the worry that those who opposed segregation felt even as they worked to ban it.  The book is a great read for tweens. 

Age Level-5th-6th Grade
Genre: Historical Fiction

Diary of a Wimpy Kid

Diary of a Wimpy Kid

Author: Jeff Kinney

Publisher: New York : Amulet Books, c2007.

Plot Description:

            Greg Heffley is just your average kid. He decided to keep a journal (a journal, NOT a diary, despite what is written on the books cover…) to write down the happenings of his life so that one day, when he’s rich and famous, he can sell it and make even more money.  Here he writes down everything about the nitwits he goes to school with, everything his embarrassing family does, and the antics that he and his best friend Rowley get into.  But when he and Rowley get into a fight, Greg realizes that something is going to have to change if they are going to stay friends.

 

Review:

            Diary of a Wimpy Kid is a well written book about the trials and tribulations of middle school.  Greg is a character kids can relate to, shorter than most everyone and kind of nerdy.  He wants to fit in and be popular but can’t quite figure out how.  But none of that stops him from trying new things and making the best of things.  The book itself is written with cartoons interspersed throughout, giving the novel a different feel than either a graphic or regular novel.  A great book about growing up.

Genre: Realistic Fiction

Reading level: 5^th-6^th Grade

Similar Books: Maniac Magee

Reader’s Advisory:

Personal thoughts- Funny

Subjects/themes- Middle School, Friendship, Diaries

Character names/descriptions-

Greg- wimpy looking middle schooler who starts a journal

Rowley- Greg’s best friend, they play a lot of video games together

Rodrick- Greg’s kind of jerky older brother

Annotation: Being a wimpy kid isn’t all bad.