“As soon as I saw you, I knew a grand adventure was about to happen.” – Winnie the Pooh
Reading Level:
K – Grade 3 [approximately]
Grade Level Equivalent:
3.4 [The text could likely be read independently by a student whose reading skills are at the level of a typical third grader during the fourth month of school.]
Review and Comments:
‘Finding Winnie’ is a fascinating and true prequel to Winnie-the-Pooh and his familiar adventures. It is a story within a story that begins when a young boy named Cole asks his mother to tell him a true story about a bear – the authentic story of Winnie-the-Pooh. Continue reading A Friend of the Heart: A Review of ‘Finding Winnie, the True Story of the World’s Most Famous Bear’ →
“It really boils down to this: that all life is interrelated. We are all caught in an inescapable network of mutuality, tied into a single garment of destiny. Whatever affects one directly, affects all indirectly.” – Martin Luther King, Jr.
Reading Level:
Grades: 4-5 [according to common core]
Grades: 6 [according to Scholastic – reflects the grade level at which a student reading on grade could read the book independently]
Interest Level:
Grade: 7
Review and Comments:
Elijah Freeman is the first free born child born in the settlement at Raleigh in Canada West called Buxton. The honor makes Elijah well known among the citizens of almost all ex-slaves. Elijah’s life is intertwined with many strong and often damaged people from the town. His relationship with those people and the events they share begin his journey to see life as it really is. Continue reading Facing Fears and Gaining Courage: A Review of ‘Elijah of Buxton’ →
“Start by doing what’s necessary; then do what’s possible; and suddenly you are doing the impossible.”– St. Francis of Assisi
Reading Level: Grades 5-6
Interest Level: Grades 5-8
Review and Comments:
As Brian buckles his seat belt and settles in the small plane to begin a trip to visit his father for the summer, he never dreams his life is about to change forever. He is distracted by angry, raging thoughts about his parents’ divorce. In the tangle of all of those emotions is a secret about his mom and that “Secret” is like an anchor weighing him down not only in his heart but in his thoughts. Those thoughts again assault his mind as he begins his flight. After a lengthy period of silence, he and the pilot finally begin to talk a bit. Brain is surprised when the pilot shows him how to use the rudder, and he actually flies the plane on his own. After that things go horribly wrong. The pilot has a heart attack and dies leaving Brian alone flying over the vast Canadian woods. Continue reading Strength in the Face of Danger: A Review of ‘Hatchet’ by Gary Paulsen →
Literature reviews from the Catholic side
Reading Level: