May 30th- Award Winners and Classics

Charlotte's Web by: E.B. White. Grade level: 3-5.

This phenomenal tale about the power of friendship begins when Wilbur moves to a new place. He feels lonely and sad but then he befriends a spider named Charlotte, and his life is changed forever. Charlotte and the rest of the animals assist in saving Wilbur from an untimely death and proving what an amazing pig he is. Although Charlotte passes away, Wilbur gets the gift of friendship with her children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren but it never could match the love and friendship that he had with Charlotte. This is a great story for children that are still developing readers because the language is still simple but the story is something that they will really love.


Alice's Adventures in Wonderland by: Lewis Carroll, Compiled by Cooper Edens. Ages 8 and up.

This eccentric fantasy follows Alice after she falls down a rabbit hole and she meets some very interesting characters. She encounters some people that love to explain their world to her, and she meets others (a certain queen) that is not so nice. I think that the reading level is something that kids can handle, i thought that the content would be better for older readers. I never saw any movie adaptations, but the book is very much a darker fantasy, not a picture perfect Disney adventure. I enjoyed the story, but I definitely think that the story is for more mature readers.




The Tale of Peter Rabbit by: Beatrix Potter. Grade Level: 2-3.

This childhood classic is great for beginning readers. The story follows Peter rabbit who goes into Mr. McGregor's garden, even when his mother tells him not to. After Mr. McGregor catches him in the garden, he must run, hide and then find his way back out of the garden. He eventually finds his way but when he returns home, his mother feeds him and sends him off to bed, while his obedient siblings enjoy a delicious meal. This is a story with a valuable lesson for kids:you
 should always listen to your mother. I think this is a true classic!




Little Women by: Louisa Ma Alcott. Grade level: 3-8.

This is a classic that people of all ages can enjoy! The girls must first deal with their father's service in the Civil War, and when he falls ill their mother goes to be by his side. The experiences that they must face about life and love make them grow from girls into women. This illustrated version of this story, allows younger readers to access to the story, while entertaining them with great illustrations.




The Adventures of Tom Sawyer by: Mark Twain. Grade level: 3-8.


Another classic by Mark Twain, is as great read for young boys (and girls too)! The adventures of Tom Sawyer and his friends, Huck Finn being his biggest partner in crime, are very entertaining! Whether it's trying to get out of painting a fence, spying on pirates, or even attending their own funeral, the boys get into some real mischief! I think that this is a great way to get young boys to read, because it is something that they can connect with and is honestly a great read!






Goodnight Moon by: Margaret Wise Brown. Grade level: Pre-K- 2.

This classic read-along book, is perfect for young readers. In this rhyming tale, the character is saying goodnight to everything in his room before he falls asleep, like the chairs and kittens and even the moon. The illustrations are fantastic and is the perfect bed time story!





The Polar Express by: Chris Van Allsburg. Grade level: K-2.

Before it became a movie, this book was a very popular book. Not only because of the amazing illustrations but because of the sweet story. The tale is about a boy, who although his friends tell him that Santa Claus does not exist, he knows that it cannot be true. On Christmas Eve, he awakes to the train outside his house, which begins an adventure to the North Pole! He meets Santa Claus and asks for a sleigh bell, so he can prove that he is real. The bell rings sweetly for he and his sister, but his parents cannot hear it! As time passes his friends and sister cannot hear its beautiful sound, but for him (the true believer) he always hears it. This story is not only a perfect holiday story, but it is a great story about how all of us should strive to maintain some of that  childhood innocence in belief in all good things.

Where the Wild Things Are by: Maurice Sendak. Grade level: Pre-K- 3.


This is another classic tale that was a book long before it became a movie. This book chronicles the adventure of Max, who after causing mischief is sent to his room early. There he travels to a place where the Wild Things live, and he encounters the Wild Things. He wins over the group by staring them in the eyes and not blink first; there by becoming King. After his fun, he soon becomes lonely and returns home, find his supper waiting for him, still hot. This story shows that no matter where you go, you can always return home. This is not only a fantastic read along but has great illustrations and an even better story.




Lord of the Flies by: William Golding. Grade level: 8-10


I read this story more than ten years ago, and really disliked it. So i figured I would read it again as a more mature reader to see if my feelings would change (especially since I forgot major parts of the story). Well, I hated it again. This story is about a group of young boys who are stranded on a desert island after their plane crashes. At first, without parental supervision, the boys have fun and act like children. However, after forming a type of government, things take a drastic turn for the worse. The boys kill and eat a boy Simon, and Ralph the leader eventually loses his friend Piggy to the boys. Luckily, a British Naval officer finds the boys and all they can do is weep for the awful things they have done. I think that this story is very violent and is overall very frightening because of the mob mentality that emerges amongst the boys. I've decided to never read the story again.