5th Grade Booktalks
2020-2021
December 11, 2020: new nonfiction
Machines That Think! by Don Brown
- PB 006.3 BRO. Graphic Expository Nonfiction.
- Have you ever wondered how humans got from counting with stones to asking a question, and getting an answer, with the mini computers we have in our pockets?
- This book explains how machines have changed throughout history and introduces the people who used them.
A Black Hole is NOT a Hole by Carolyn Cinami DeCristofano
- 523.8 DEC. Expository Nonfiction.
- Have you ever wondered what a black hole really is? And isn't? This book explains in a non-scientist kind of way everything you need to know about black holes in space.
- If you are interested in finding about this part of our galaxy, check out this book!
Nature's Ninja: Animals with Spectacular Skills by Rebecca Johnson
- 591.47 JOH. Expository Nonfiction.
- Did you know it's not just ninjas that have ninja skills? Lots of animals do too!
- Ninja Skill Shinobi-Iri: The ability to walk and run silently, enter buildings, and camps undetected, and climb, leap, and tumble like an acrobat. Geckos have ninjas beat with this skill.
- Ninja Skill Shuriken-Jutsu: Using handheld throwing blades, including Bou Shuriken (straight spikes) and Shaken (wheel-like throwing stars), to disable or fend off attackers. Collector urchins have this skill mastered.
- This book features nine different ninja skills and the animals that have them.
The Stanley Cup Playoffs: the Quest for Hockey's Biggest Prize by Matt Doeden
- 796.962 DOE. Expository Nonfiction.
- Thrilling and fast paces are two words that might describe professional hockey, and the most intense times are during the Stanley Cup playoffs.
- This book describes the greatest games, the biggest moments, and the most incredible goals throughout the history of the Stanley Cup.
- Whether you know all about hockey or just a little, this book will keep you on the edge of your seat with the greatest moments of the sport.
Normal: One Kid's Extraordinary Journey by Magdalena & Nathaniel Newman
- 921 NEW. Autobiographical Memoir.
- Remember the book Wonder? This is the true story of a boy who has Treacher Collins Syndrome, a condition where the face is severely deformed, just like Auggie in Wonder.
- Magda Newman wanted her son Nathaniel to be "normal"--to be able to play on the playground, swim, and enjoy moments his friends took for granted. But other needs came first--could he eat without the help of a tube? Could he hear? Could he breathe without effort? But for Nathaniel, what "normal" means is something different.
- This book, told from the perspective of Nathaniel and his mom, tells the story of Nathaniel's growing up years--having 67 surgeries before he was 15 years old, moving across the country, and persevering through hardships together.
Happy reading!
October 13, 2020: good books you shouldn't miss!
Gregor the Overlander by Suzanne Collins
- F COL. Fantasy Adventure (SF/F).
- book trailer
- When Gregor falls through a grate in the laundry room of his apartment building, it sends him to the Underland, where humans co-exist with spiders, rats, and cockroaches. This world is on the brink of war, and Gregor soon realizes he has a part to play, especially when he figures out that it is the only way to solve the mystery of his father's disappearance.
- The adventure he begins will change his life, and the Underland, forever.
The Adventures of Beanboy by Lisa Harkrader
- F HAR. Realistic Fiction (RL).
- Tucker has been reading and drawing comics as long as he can remember. So when he hears about a contest for kids to draw a comic superhero sidekick, he knows he has to enter. Life has been pretty tough at home with his dad gone and his mom struggling to keep up, and he thinks winning the contest may be the way he can help her out.
- The trouble is, he is supposed to be in charge of looking after his younger brother, and with him in the after school art club for the contest, one of the bullies at school, Sam Zawicki, is hired to look after him.
- Can Tucker help out his brother, deal with Sam, and keep up with his drawing enough to win the contest?
11 Birthdays by Wendy Mass
- F MAS. Realistic Fiction, sort of (RL).
- It is Amanda's 11th birthday and she is super excited. But from the very beginning of the day, things start to go wrong. She gets in a fight with her older sister, her dad is too sick to help with her birthday party, her mom gets bad news, and the worst part--no one wants to come to *her* party because they want to go to her ex-best friend Leo's party instead. This is their first birthday they haven't shared together and it makes her day extra bad.
- By the time Amanda is ready for bed, she's looking forward to waking up to a normal day. But when she wakes up, she starts to wonder if it's a normal day after all. Her birthday seems to be repeating itself! What is going on?! And how can she fix it?!
Get a Grip, Vivy Cohen! by Sarah Kapit
- F KAP. Realistic Fiction Sports (SPO).
- Ever since Vivy's hero, Major League star pitcher VJ Capello taught her how to throw a knuckleball, Vivy has wanted to play baseball. So when she is asked to write a letter to someone she knows for a class she's in to help her with her autism, she decides to write to VJ.
- And then two amazing things happen--the coach of a Little League team finds out about her pitching and invites her to join the team, AND VJ starts writing back!
- The problem is her mom and her new teammates don't really think she can do it. Will Vivy be able to achieve her dream despite everyone's doubts?
Happy reading!
September 15, 2020: middle school read alikes
If you liked The Lightning Thief series, try...
Aru Shah and the End of Time by Roshani Chokshi
- F CHO. Fantasy.
- 12 year old has a tendency to stretch the truth in order to fit in at school. To try to match what her classmates are doing, Aru makes up stories about traveling to Paris and having a chauffeur, when really she'll be spending her fall break at home, in the Museum of Ancient Indian Art and Culture, waiting for her mom to get home from another business trip.
- One day three of her classmates show up on Aru's doorstep. They want to catch her in a lie--they don't believe the museum's Lamp of Bharata is cursed, and they dare Aru to prove it.
- Aru decides to light the lamp as a way of solving her problem of telling so many lies, but she's not prepared for the consequences that happen when she does. She unknowingly frees the Sleeper, whose job it is to wake the God of Destruction. This causes her classmates and her mom to be frozen in time, and only Aru can save them.
- Similar to the The Lightning Thief because it is a retelling of a Hindu myth, like The Lightning Thief was a retelling of a Greek Myth.
If you liked books by Raina Telgemeier, try...
Lights, Camera, Middle School! by Jennifer Holm
- F HOL. Realistic Fiction (sort of).
- A Babymouse book, but not a complete graphic novel.
- Middle school is turning out to be pretty rough for Babymouse. She's not sure who her friends are, and she's realizing that in order to fit in with some girls, she has to fit in exactly right.
- Babymouse doesn't want to just fit in, though, so she joins the film club and begins work on directing her own movie. Will this be the way Babymouse finds her place in middle school, or will it be another source of nightmares?
- Similar to Raina Telgemeier's books because there are some graphic elements and because it focuses on family and school relationships.
If you liked Front Desk, try...
Merci Suarez Changes Gears by Meg Medina
- F MED. Realistic Fiction.
- Merci is just starting sixth grade, and although she knew it would be different, she didn't know just how different. She has to do extra community service at the school because she and her brother attend the private school as scholarship students and get free tuition. Between managing that, her bossy classmate Edna, and the new boy she gets assigned to as a Sunshine Buddy, Merci has just about all she can handle at school.
- The problem is, life is not much easier at home. Her grandfather Lolo is acting more and more strange, forgetting things in random places, falling off his bike, and getting angry over small things.
- No one will tell Merci what's going on with Lolo, and she feels like she's all alone at home AND at school. Merci has to figure out how to navigate this new year and all of its changes.
- Similar to Front Desk because of a strong main character who has to navigate changes at school and at home.
If you liked the Wimpy Kid series, try...
I Funny by James Patterson
- F PAT. Realistic Fiction.
- Jamie Grimm's goal is to become the world's greatest standup comedian. His living situation these days makes that hard--stuck living with his aunt, uncle, and bully son Stevie who constantly messes with Jamie even though he uses a wheelchair. But he's determined not to let that get the best of him.
- When his uncle mentions the contest "The Planet's Funniest Kid Comic," Jamie is determined to enter. But are the judges going to judge Jamie based on his skills or out of pity based on his wheelchair? And will Jamie ever be brave enough to share his past, or will he keep using his comedy as his protection?
- Similar to the Wimpy Kid books because of the humor the main character uses to protect himself.
If you liked The Crossover, try...
Slam Dunk! by Sharon Robinson
- F ROB. Sports Fiction.
- Elijah "Jumper" Breeze is settling into his new home in Harlem. His mother moved them there from the suburbs after his father died. He's looking forward to seeing his new friends from summer camp at his new middle school, and he's looking forward to playing basketball again.
- Then his friend Kelvin talks him into running for student council and things start to get a lot more complicated.
- book trailer