Mrs. C. Couto's Class: Top Ten
Our 10 "Must Reads" for Every Fifth Grader
The Cay by Theodore Taylor
12-year-old Phillip lives in Willemstad with his parents during the time of World War II. Until one day when Phillip and his mother went on a boat called the Hato. Then the boat was torpedoed by a German submarine and Phillip ended up on a raft with a black man named Timothy. Read the book to find out if they survive.
Reviewed by Chenji, Emelia, and Emily B.
Shiloh by Phyllis Reynolds Naylor
Walking one day, 11-year-old Marty Preston sights a skinny young beagle. After discovering that it belongs to abusive dog owner Judd Travers, he is obliged to try to help the dog that he names Shiloh...
Reviewed by Jenna, Venus, and Emily G.
Wonder by R.J. Palacio
Imagine being a boy with a deformed face. Your eyes are an inch too low, and your ears are like pizza dough. You wore a space helmet for three years. Meet August Pullman. He is about to enter Beecher Prep: the first school he's ever been to. There he has many friends such as Jack, Will, and Summer, and also some enemies, like half the school and Julian. Will Auggie survive his first year of middle school? Read this book and go on the adventure of a lifetime.
Reviewed by Trevor, Lindsay, and Drew
Diary of a Wimpy Kid by Jeff Kinney
In the book Diary of a Wimpy Kid by Jeff Kinney, it is a hilarious novel with plenty of pictures that will make you laugh and laugh over and over again. In this book Greg Heffley (the main character) and Rowley, his best friend, get into a heated argument. This book is the first in a series so the book does a lot of explaining, but it's still a very good book. Read to find out the rest of this book and we hope you enjoy Diary of a Wimpy Kid.
Reviewed by Noah, Connor, and Sophie
The One and Only Ivan by Katherine Applegate
Ivan is a gorilla living at the Exit 8 Big Top Mall and Video Arcade. He has lived there since he was a baby and rarely thinks about his old family in the jungle. Then a new addition to the Big Top Mall arrives: a baby elephant named Ruby. Ivan takes it upon himself to take care of Ruby. Read this funny book about friendship by Katherine Applegate.
Reviewed by Emma and Kirsten
Holes by Louis Sachar
Stanley Yelnats is an average person but is being sent to Camp Green Lake (there is no lake- it is a correctional camp). WHY? Because shoes "fell from the sky" and hit him but apparently they were the famous baseball player Clay Livingston's shoes. Then he was arrested for stealing them. But there is a secret they may be hiding because every day they have to dig a hole 5 feet wide and 5 feet deep. What is going on at Camp Green Lake? What are they searching for? Find out in Holes by Louis Sachar!
Reviewed by Daniel, Quinn, and Jackson
I Funny by James Patterson
Jamie is a stand-up comic but there is only one problem: he can't stand it. Another sad event happened to Jamie-he had to move in with his aunt and uncle and their tortuous son who always messes with Jamie. And to make it worse his aunt and uncle never smile. Jamie's only time to shine is when he performs in his other uncle's dinner and at school. Will Jamie ever find his only time to show his awesome comedian talent? Read I Funny by James Patterson to find out.
Reviewed by Thomas and Jordan
Middle School: The Worst Years of My Life by James Patterson
In the book Middle School: The Worst Years of My Life, Ralph is having a tough time in junior high. For example, he is getting bullied, and back home his mom is engaged to a guy named Bear. Ralph can't stand Bear. Another tough part is he had a brother who died very young and Ralph is very down. And Ralph's family is poor. Read to find out more about Ralph and the tortuous middle school.
Reviewed by Connor
The Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan
Percy Jackson is in trouble as he is about to be kicked out of his boarding school...again. When a freak attack happens to Percy at a museum he discovers his dyslexic and ADHD life is about to get very "interesting." With his best friend, a satyr, and his Latin teacher, a centaur, he makes his way to a safe place, losing his mom in the process. He then discovers his demigod powers (half god, half mortal) as a son of Poseidon. But other problems go on in the god world when Zeus, the king of the gods and Greek lord of the sky, accuses Poseidon's son Percy of thievery, a war will start on the Summer Solstice. Percy, a victim of false accusation, dawns his back on Camp Half-Blood with Grover, his satyr friend, and Annabeth, daughter of Athena, to an epic quest to find the lost artifact.
Reviewed by Eliza, Brian, and Jonah
The House of Hades by Rick Riordan
In the fourth book of the "Heroes of Olympus" series Percy Jackson and his girlfriend Annabeth Chase face many challenges in Tartarus. Meanwhile, Hazel, daughter of Pluto, faces many challenges trying to control the mist. Hazel and her friends can either choose to stop the coming war between the Greeks and the Romans, or open the doors of death to stop monsters and free Percy and Annabeth. Read The House of Hades to find out.
Reviewed by Alice, Tommy, and Harrison