1. Wonder by R.J. Palacio
Wonder is one of my favorite books because of the lesson I learned and it helped me understand what bullying felt like. I learned that you can't just judge someone by their looks, you have to talk to them. Most people didn't go by the character, August, but Summer did. The other characters hoped not to work with him or didn’t want to be near him. August was also bullied. Students would make fun of him and talk behind his back. What I think was the worst was the students making up a game where if August touched them they had the August touch and they were infected with a virus. The concept of the game was kinda like the cheese touch from Dairy of a Wimpy Kid.
2. I Survived series by Lauren Tarishis
I like the I Survived series because they help me understand every disaster better and from a first person point of view. I am really interested in disasters and this helps me learn more about them. Some are about war which I also love. My favorite one is The San Francisco Earthquake, 1906. I only read 6 out of the 9 books.
3. A Tale Dark & Grimm (A Tale Dark & Grimm #1) by Adam Gidwitz
This was an interesting book to read. What's interesting about the book is how it is the original version of a childhood story, it is so different and gruesome. The book is about the real story of Hansel & Gretel. When reading the book you would never think of it as being a kids story.
4. My Side of the Mountain by Jean Craighead George
This book was very different. When you read the book you feel like you know the Sam and his bird Frightful. At the end something happens and when I got to it, it made me feel sorry for Sam. This book teaches a little about surviving, too.
5. Goosebumps Series by R.L. Stine
I really enjoyed these series of books. I liked them so much mainly because they were my favorite genre; scary. One day I would like to read all the books in this series. The way a R.L. Stine used descriptive words made the book creepy. My favorite book is A Day in Horrorland.
6. Diary of a Wimpy Kid Series by Jeff KinneyThese books didn't really teach me anything, but they are a fun to read. They weren't at my level when I read them, but I just read them for fun. The only ones I didn't read were The Third Wheel and Hard Luck. I read these book for a little laugh and I will most likely read the new books for fun. My favorite book is Cabin Fever.
7. Maniac Magee by Jerry Spinelli
This book is one of my favorite books because of the creativity, uniqueness, and humorous traits. This book is a fun book to read. I would recommend it to kids. Jerry Spinelli used very descriptive words to help the reader imagine what's happening. I saw the movie and read the book, so I recommend reading the book before watching the movie.
8. Finding Zasha by Randi Barrow
I personally love this book. It's a book that will leave you wondering what will happen next. SPOILER ALERT! The book takes place in the German Siege and the main character is a boy name Ivan. He wants to steal 2 German shepherd puppies, (Zasha and Thor) because he's afraid of their worst fate. He gets both dogs, but Zasha disappears. That leaves him with 2 important choices such as finding Zasha and risking everything the members of the Nazi's worked for or saving himself and Thor.
9. Mr. Popper's Penguins by Richard and Florence Atwater
This is a really funny book. It is a lower level book, but I still enjoyed reading it. This is also another book that I think that kids will really enjoy. They also have a movie that is really funny, so I highly recommend it. This book is also really creative.
10. War Dogs and Other Tales of Courageous Canines by Joanne Mattern
I really like this book because it involves 2 of my favorite subjects; war/disaster and dogs. This book is a really good book in my opinion. You can learn about things that happen at places and how service dogs work. For example, at an airport how a dog will react to drugs or weapons that they find, in debris, avalanches, etc. and how they would signal if they found survivor. This book is very informational.
