Petey- Ben Mikaelsen

This story is one that warms the heart. A little boy named Trevor moves to a new place and when he does so, he comes across an elderly man in a wheel chair who often times is picked on by passerbys. Trevor seeks to befriend Petey, who not only is elderly but suffers from Cerebral Palsy. As the story continues, the two become great friends-sharing in life together. Even with the pigeons that continue to make the pages of the story :)

This book would be a great text to be used within the third through fifth grade classroom (or even beyond) as it is such a rich story, addressing aspects of friendship, bullying, physical illness, differences, etc. This story goes beyond age and ability to show what true friendship really is.

Fiction/Chapter Book

Hatchet-Gary Paulsen

A trip to visit his father turned bad for Brian Robinson, as the pilot of his personal plane suffered a massive heart attack. After experiencing near death situations on multiple occasions, this young boy learns how to survive in the wilderness. Using the mere tool his mother had given him before he left, Brian seems to overcome the natural beasts, weather, events that characterize the wild.

This text would be a valuable within the classroom not only for the way the author keeps you on the edge of your seat constantly, but also for subltle undertones of perseverance and hope that Brian's sense of endurance brings about for all who read.

Using wordle was a way that technology was incorporated into the classroom. By providing words that characterized this novel, students could begin to identify the book by the adjectives they can best recall the story by. http://www.wordle.net/show/wrdl/1862489/Hatchet









Fiction/Chapter Book