HAISLN Recommended Reading List 2013 (Grade 3-4)

In Ed Young's childhood home in Shanghai, all was not as it seemed: a rocking chair became a horse; a roof became a roller rink; an empty swimming pool became a place for riding scooters and bikes. The house his father built transformed as needed into a place to play hide-and-seek, to eat bamboo shoots, and to be safe. For outside the home's walls, China was at war. Soon the house held not only Ed and his four siblings but also friends, relatives, and even strangers who became family. As the war grew closer, Ed watched planes fly overhead and friends join the Chinese air force. But through it all, Ed's childhood remained full of joy and imagination. - Jacket flap.

From Lisa Yee and Caldecott Medalist Dan Santat, a hilarious sequel to Bobby vs. Girls (Accidentally). In his last adventure, Bobby Ellis-Chan got stuck to a stinky tree, had underwear attached to his back, and faced down a whole wolfpack of girls. What could be scarier or more humiliating than that? Oh, how about playing sports with his football-hero dad ... a cat with 27 toes ... an asthma attack in public ... dancing on stage in the school musical ... And the list goes on! Bobby will have to overcome his fears if he's going to come out on top.

In this striking picture book biography, an old-timer tells us what made Sandy Koufax so amazing. We are told that people are still "scratchin' their heads over Sandy," who remains a modest hero and a mystery to this day. Gallery WINNER: voted the favorite Gallery Book for the year in the Children's Triple Crown Book Award program, advancing uplifting, wholesome, mainstream literature.

Old Cricket doesn't feel like helping his wife and neighbors to prepare for winter and so he pretends to have all sorts of ailments that require the doctor's care, but hungry Old Crow has other ideas.

Nine-year-old Ben, a natural athlete and member of the Bobcats co-ed soccer team, wants to overcome his inexperience and prove himself on the field, but his obnoxious teammate, Mark, keeps hogging the ball.

Chuck the cat, lonely when his owner Katie goes to college and his best friend and fellow dog-hater Tom is taken away in a cage, can't believe it when he finds a new companion in a beast named Rotten Willy.

GR 3-5. Be transported back to 1901 and meet Annie Edson Taylor. When her charm school closes Annie needs to find a way to earn money. She has a great idea after reading a newspaper article about the throngs that go to Niagara Falls each summer. With determination of steel, this 62-year old lady sets out to design and build a barrel, in which she’ll plunge over Niagara Falls, thus realizing her dream of becoming rich and famous. Queen of the Falls is based on true events. Annie Edson Taylor was the first person to ride over Niagara Falls in a barrel, and the only woman to take on this task solo. The reader is caught up in the drama, just like those crowds of bygone years, wondering, “Is Annie is going to survive the fall?” She does survive, but her naiveté cost her part of her dream. In true Van Allsburg style, the sepia-style illustrations enable the reader to visually be carried back to the early 1900’s. The emotion of this historic event is captured not only verbally, but also in the facial expressions rendered by Van Allsburg. This author/illustrator’s former works are fantastical and surreal in nature, yet this book attests to his talent in other genres as well. From this book, students can take away the lesson that everyone has dreams, ambitions and goals…even little old ladies.

"Justin is going to start fourth grade-but first, he has to survive the summer. He "gets" to go to camp every day on a bus. He "gets" to experience all sorts of new things: Bugs. Mess hall food. Flip-flops (they hurt the space between his toes and they're hard to walk in). And (gulp!) swimming. Justin's little sister, Elizabeth, seems to deal with camp just fine. So do his friends. Justin is trying very hard not to be a worried kid anymore, especially when it comes to making friends at camp, including a new kid who is kind of ... rough. After all, Justin is going to be in fourth grade. It's time to be brave. Right?"--Jacket.

After graduating from the superhero academy, Melvin Beederman heads for Los Angeles, where he unexpectedly teams up with Candace Brinkwater, school play actress, to nab the evil McNasty Brothers.

Everything in these books happened to real people. You choose the path you take and what you do next. Readers will explore multiple perspectives and learn for themselves the value of seeing history from many points of view.

Grace, an aspiring young journalist, is excited when Amelia Earhart arrives in her town of Trepassey, Newfoundland, on June 4, 1928. Earhart wants to become the first female passenger to cross the Atlantic Ocean by air. Grace is there to see them--and to receive Earhart's telegram announcing their arrival in Ireland after twenty hours and forty minutes in flight.

"Gives examples of how animals of North American and African grasslands use camouflage to help them adapt to their habitats and hide from predators"--

“This rousing tribute should resonate with a wide audience." —School Library Journal (starred review) Before he was Hammerin’ Hank, Henry Aaron was a young boy growing up in Mobile, Alabama, with what seemed like a foolhardy dream: to be a big-league baseball player. He didn’t have a bat. He didn’t have a ball. And there wasn’t a single black ballplayer in the major leagues. But none of this could stop him. In a captivating biography of Henry Aaron’s young life, Matt Tavares pays inspiring homage to one of baseball’s all-time greats.

Ten-year-old Leo loves being a newsboy in San Francisco. But early one spring morning, Leo's world is shaken - literally - and he finds himself stranded as the city crumbles and burns to the ground. Does Leo have what it takes to survive this devastating disaster?

"The long-awaited prequel to the bestseller FOURTH GRADE RATS George, aka "Suds," has just entered third grade, and he's heard the rhyme about "first grade babies/second grade cats/third grade angels/fourth grade rats," but what does this mean for his school year? It means that his teacher, Mrs. Simms, will hold a competition every month to see which student deserves to be awarded "the halo" - which student is best-behaved, kindest to others, and, in short, perfect. Suds is determined to be the first to earn the halo, but he's finding the challenge of always being good to be more stressful than he had anticipated. Does he have to be good even outside of school? (Does he have to be nice to his annoying little sister?) And if Mrs. Simms doesn't actually see him doing a good deed, does it even count?"--

From the age of 5, little Marcel Marceau knew he wanted to be a silent actor, just like Charlie Chaplin; when World War II intervened, he joined the Resistance, helping to save Jewish children during this dangerous time, but Marcel never forgot his dream of being a mime artist and went on to become one of the most renowned entertainers of the 20th century.

NOW AVAILABLE AS AN EBOOK! From New York Times bestselling Shel Silverstein, celebrated creator of Where the Sidewalk Ends, A Light in the Attic, and Falling Up, comes an amazing collection of poems and drawings, in ebook for the very first time! Have you ever read a book with everything on it? Well, here it is! You will say Hi-ho for the toilet troll, get tongue-tied with Stick-a-Tongue-Out-Sid, play a highly unusual horn, and experience the joys of growing down. What's that? You have a case of the Lovetobutcants? Impossible! Just come on in and let the magic of Shel Silverstein bend your brain and open your heart. And don't miss these other Shel Silverstein ebooks: The Giving Tree, Where the Sidewalk Ends, Falling Up, and A Light in the Attic!

Poems and factual information about some of the creatures that live on Planet Earth.

A collection of poems that provide a look at some of the animals, insects, and plants that are found in ponds, with accompanying information about each.

In this dynamic picture-book biography, told as if by Vivaldi himself, the famous musician's energetic personality and steadfast dedication to music come alive.Despite his mother's vow for him to become a priest, young Vivaldi is only interested in music. He soon grows from a feisty boy who wants to play the violin into a stubborn young man who puts his musical training ahead of his studies for priesthood.Beautiful, ornate artwork portrays the spirit and splendor of Vivaldi's hometown, Venice. A historical note, musical score, and glossary will help readers more fully appreciate Vivaldi's life and musical genius.

The campaign to save the earth from being turned off is going well, but Michael K. must enlist fellow fifth-graders Venus and TJ to help hide the SPHDZ from Agent Umber, especially when they become involved in a school play.

School is in session! But this is no ordinary kindergarten class. Meet sixteen young giant panda cubs at the China Conservation and Research Center for the Giant Panda at the Wolong Nature Preserve. The cubs are raised together from infancy in a protected setting, where they grow strong. Under the watchful eyes of the scientists and workers, the cubs learn skills that will help prepare some of them to be released into the wild.

While learning detective skills at a sleep-away camp, Dink and his friends undercover a real mystery involving stolen paintings.

A collection of stories, poems, palindromes, games, and observations that may be happy, sad, silly, or serious.

Recounts the exploits of Paul Bunyan's "little" sister, Paula, who lived in the North Woods, sang three-part harmony with the wolves, and used an angry bear for a foot warmer.

"In a last-ditch effort to save Apple Valley Elementary's award-winning music program from looming budget cuts, the PTA plans to auction off a recently donated, handcrafted cello at the school's annual fund-raising dinner. Confidence is high--until the cello turns up missing the morning of the event. The school principal charges Chase Manning, a fifth grader who has dreamed of playing in the Sixth Grade Honors Orchestra his whole life, with finding the cello by three o'clock. Each hour of the school day involves surprising and suspense-filled plot turns as Chase pursues the elusive cello. This single-day, real-time mystery thriller truly is a chase against time!"--Page 4 of cover.

Book by Theis, Margot

In this innovative look at seven paintings by Jan Vermeer, author Bob Raczka takes on the role of interviewer and the people in the paintings become his willing subjects. From The Milkmaid to The Geographer, Raczka teases out fascinating details about these gorgeous works of art and their mysterious creator. As you might imagine, after more than three hundred years of silence, the characters inside these paintings have much to share.