Fruits Basket 2 by Natsuki Takaya

This is the second book in the Japanese manga series 'Fruit Basket'. It is the story of a young girl, Tohru, who goes to live with a family known as the Sohma clan when her parents die. The clan has a secret though- each of the family members is possessed by an animal of the Chinese Zodiac and will turn into this animal when hugged by a member of the opposite sex.

This book is pretty much what I would consider fluff, reading it was kind of like watching an episode of Sailor Moon. The plot and character interactions were pretty predictable (and ridiculous) and the humor is definitely intended for a preteen audience.

This would be a good book for students who need to spend more of their free time reading... it is easy to get into and fairly entertaining. I think preteens would enjoy it because there are themes of crushes, romance, personality clashes, drama, etc... things they can probably relate to at that age.

Dr. Seuss by Jill C. Wheeler

This is a biography about the children's book writer and illustrator known as Dr. Seuss. It is written for upper elementary readers. What makes this book interesting is the story of Dr. Seuss himself... if his life's story wasn't so interesting pretty much no matter how it's told this book probably would not be worth reading.
One of the problems with this book is that there are not many illustrations and the pictures that there are are of things like men in suits who were somehow involved in Dr. Seuss' life sitting at their desks. There is not one picture of an illustration made by Dr. Seuss or of any of his books. This seems strange... it does not do justice to an artist or writer to write a biography of their life (especially for children) but not include a single picture or word produced by them. The text can by somewhat dull and there is not a good flow from event to event in Suess' life.

The Sign of the Beaver by Elizabeth George Speare

This is the story of a young settler boy, Matt, who is left to guard his family's cabin while his dad goes to get his Mom and sister from their old house. While waiting for his family, Matt's life is saved by two Indians after he tries to steal honey from a bee's nest. Matt ends up with the task of teaching the grandson of the cheif, a boy about his age, to read. At first this boy, Attean, is unwilling to learn from Matt and they mutually dislike each other, but eventually trust and understanding builds between the two and they become friends.

This is a great story, it is easy to see why it won the Newbery Honor. Matt's story of getting to know Attean is cleverly echoed by the story of Robinson Crusoe, the book he is teaching Attean to read from. The twist is that instead of Robinson Crusoe teaching the savage, Attean is the one teaching Matt. Both Matt and the reader learn to develop respect for Attean and the ways of his people... a very important lesson is learned when Matt realizes he has always been brought up to see Indians as ignorant but perhaps he is the one who should be learning from them after all. Another great thing about this book is that it is meaningful and emotional without being unrealistic. There is plenty of misfortune and mistrust in the story... which makes it much more gratifying when Matt and Attean finally do become friends.

There was an old lady who swallowed a fly Illustrated by Pam Adams

This short book for beginning readers illustrates the well-known tale of the old lady who swallows a fly. After swallowing the fly the lady must keep swallowing progressively larger and larger animals to get rid of the previous animals. Eventually the old lady swallows a horse and ends up 'dead, of course.'

The highlight of this book is the illustrations. The old lady fills the entire page with bright colors and patterns. The book is also put together in a clever way so that there are cut outs that get larger and larger showing each of the animals inside the old lady. There are nice little details hidden in the old lady's outfit that would catch the eye of a perceptive young reader, for example the old lady's pockets are stuffed with candy. Overall this is a well-illustrated version of the classic children's poem.

The Travels of Ferdinand Magellan by Joanne Mattern

This is a biography for upper-elementary students that tells the story of the adventures of the Portuguese explorer Ferdinand Megellan in the early 1500's. Magellan's goal was to find a way to reach the Indies by sailing West instead of East. He and his crew ended up discovering a passage through South America connecting the Atlantic and Pacific oceans. This passage is now known as the Strait of Magellan.
One of the merits of this book is that it contains many maps showing the route Magellan took. The old drawings and etchings depicting Magellan and his ships also add to the story and give reader's good examples of different art forms over time. Another strength of the book is that it has real quotes from the people involved in Magellan's story. For example the starving sailor who writes "We ate biscuit that was no longer biscuit, but powder of biscuit swarming with worms" (page 30). Quotes like these throughout the story are more powerful than just a simple narraration of events and help reader's get a better idea of what it was really like to be there.

Davy Crockett: A Life on the Frontier by Stephen Krensky

This is a biography for middle-elementary readers (grade 3) that tells the story of Davy Crockett, an American frontiersman in the late 1700's. What makes this book especially interesting is the way Krensky incorporates tall tales about Crockett into the true story of Crockett's life. Each chapter opens with one of these fictional stories and is followed by an explanation of how this story came to be and the real story it was based on. This helps young readers understand how fantasy stories and tall tales come to exist. The book is illustrated with iconic pictures of Crockett which will probably appeal to readers... especially the illustrations depicting the tall tales, for example Crockett holding an asteroid by it's tale.

Helen Keller by David A. Adler

This is a biography for early elementary readers. In this book Adler tells the story of Helen Keller's life-from how she became deaf and blind at the age of 2 to how she eventually met the President of the United States and inspired people all around the world.
This book is good for beginning readers because the text is large and the words are simple yet Adler still tells Keller's story in a meaningful way. The watercolor illustrations help explain the story and add to the book's appeal. The positive and essential role of Keller's teacher, Anne Sullivan shows how important teachers can be to their student's lives... a great lesson for young readers.