Clements, Andrew. Frindle. Illustrated by Brian Selznick. Scholastic, 1996. ISBN 9780439607278

If you are looking for a good author to help you introduce chapter books, Andrew Clements' books are classics. I wouldn't consider Frindle to be a very first chapter book (Nate the Great by Sharmat or Cam Jansen by Adler are excellent "first" chapter book reads), but this title by Clements is the next stepping stone. 

Nick, inspired by the idea of slang in language, decides that "frindle" is just as good a name for a pen as "pen", and sets out to discover whether he can drum up enough common usage of the word so as to have it added to the English dictionary. 

His teacher, a stout rule-follower and lover of the dictionary, demands that he not use the word in her classroom. Thus begins the challenge, and soon it grows beyond Nick to include classmates, parents, the school principal, a local paper, national news, a visit to late-night TV, and more. 

Personally, I went back and fourth on this story. I loved the cleverness of the plot and the engaging characters. Selzneick's illustrations helped drive the story, giving the characters more personality as well as keeping things kid-friendly. 

The main character, Nick, is one of those active boys that you can't help but love. He plays tricks and pushes people's buttons, but in the end you know he simply has an active mind searching for an entertaining outlet. 

What I did not appreciate was some of the portrayal of authority figures in the story. Nick, in his smiling, clever, way, was openly defiant to his teacher. Furthermore, his parents did little to address this issue. 

The saving element was the teacher in question. She was resilient, and understood Nick completely, even though he never knew it. In reality, she was playing the same games, and her clever moves are not revealed until the very end of the book. 

Frindle was written in 1996, so some of the objects and names will not resonate with children today. Things like print dictionaries, print newspapers, and "The David Letterman Show" won't have any significance. 

However, these elements do not detract from the story enough to make much of a difference, and the descriptions of the the dictionary and Nick's homework may even help children understand more about language and research.

Over-all, this was a good read. It kept me engaged, wanting to know how everything was going to turn out. And the ending didn't disappoint. 

Heartbeat

 

Creech, Sharon. Heartbeat. HarperCollins, 2004. ISBN: 0060540222

I can't say enough positive things about this book. Lovely prose, realistic characters, coming of age, and simply beautiful. 

The story is essentially about three things: running, drawing, and change. In a way, those three elements combine to represent everything that is happening in twelve year old Annie's life. 

Her male best friend is changing, and she doesn't understand his moods. Her mother is pregnant, and her grandfather is aging before her eyes. 

But through it all she remains steady: running and drawing. Not for glory or prize, but simply for the discipline of enjoying what she loves. 

An excellent read with depth. Creech does a wonderful job of introducing ideas with showing rather than telling, leaving the young reader plenty of room to ponder. 

Frost, Helen. Hidden. Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 2011. ISBN: 0374382212

Frost takes an unlikely premise and spins a warm tale of friendship, healing, and understanding, and does so without compromising a realistic middle grade perspective.

Books written in fluid, poetic formats sometimes have trouble with flow and scene building. This is not the case for Hidden, which grips the reader tightly with fast-paced suspence from the first page, and then deposits us in a summer camp setting—complete with cliques, humor, boys, counselors and traditions.

Wren, hiding in the back of her mother’s car as an 8 year old, is accidentally kidnapped during a store robbery and carjacking gone wrong. The beginning of the book details her encounter with precise words and pauses, while also introducing us to the opposing protagonist, Darra. Darra is the same age as Wren, but on a far different sphere of the social spectrum.

Wren escapes, and Darra’s father goes to prison.

Fast-forward to summer camp at age 15 when the two girls cross paths for the first time. Wren must suddenly deal with repressed emotions. Darra must deal with her sense of loss and the blame she placed on Wren for her father’s arrest. All of these elements come to a head when the girls learn Darra’s father will soon be released from prison.

This story is beautiful. There is a realism that is not overly dramatic or sappy. The girls act like 15 year olds, and must learn what it means to walk in another person’s shoes. The summer camp setting keeps the tone light and often playful. A perfectly scenic and thoughtful summer read.