Our Homeschool Bookshelf 12/20/2012

Although a lot of homeschoolers took this week off, we kept working because we slacked-off during the Thanksgiving holiday. This week’s homeschool bookshelf includes the latest ‘Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Third Wheel’ (which the 9 year-old has already ready four times), another Charlie Joe Jackson Guide book, Bird – a book that deals with a child’s coping death and drug addiction, and several others.

Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Third Wheel by Jeff Kinney

Greg Heffley is not willing to be the odd man out.
A dance at Greg’s middle school has everyone scrambling to find a partner, and Greg is determined not to be left by the wayside. So he concocts a desperate plan to find someone—anyone!—to go with on the big night.

But Greg’s schemes go hilariously awry, and his only option is to attend the dance with his best friend, Rowley Jefferson, and a female classmate as a “group of friends.” But the night is long, and anything can happen along the way. Who will arrive at the dance triumphantly, and who will end up being the third wheel?

Charlie Joe Jackson’s Guide to Extra Credit by Tommy Greenwald
Lexile: 630L

From Booklist

In his 2011 debut, Charlie Joe Jackson offered his Guide to Not Reading. Now he has got to get his grades up if he wants to avoid the dreaded Camp Rituhbukkee (Camp Read-a-Bookie). But the only way to improve his grades is to try to get some extra credit—not easy when you’re barely getting credit in some courses. But Charlie Joe gamely poses for his art teacher, wearing a goofy costume; agrees to serve on student council to satisfy its advisor; and tries out for the school play to boost his drama grade. Naturally, all this effort comes with a downside (he doesn’t even think about his crush for six straight hours), but there are some surprising pluses as well. Charlie Joe is a fun and funny character (as are the many entries in his handwritten “Tip Sheet” document), and readers will get a kick out of his evolution and his own shock at the ways he adapts to change. Comic line drawings add to the humor.

Bird by Zetta Elliott
Lexile: AD720L

An African American boy nicknamed Bird uses drawing as a creative outlet as he struggles to make sense of his grandfather’s death and his brother’s drug addiction.

Going North by Janie Harrington
Lexile: AD700L

An African American family becomes a new kind of pioneer Leaving behind Big Mama, loving relatives, and the familiar red soil and cotton fields of Alabama, Jessie and her family are going north to Nebraska. They are pioneers searching for a better life, one with decent schools and jobs. But traveling through the segregated South is difficult for an African American family in the 1960s. With most public places reserved for “whites only,” where will they stop to get gas and food? Lyrical free verse and evocative paintings capture the rhythm of the road and a young girl’s longing as she wonders: Will I like it there? Will I like the North?

Kel Gilligan’s Daredevil Stunt Show by Michael Buckley
From Michael Buckley, the bestselling author of the Sisters Grimm and NERDS series, and Dan Santat, author-illustrator of Sidekicks, comes this hilarious picture book starring Kel Gilligan (a.k.a. “The Boy Without Fear”) that encourages kids to laugh at their fears and celebrates the bravery it takes to try new things no matter how ordinary. Narrated by Kel himself as he attempts his “stunts” with Evel Knievel–like flair, the story unfolds as a performance in which readers themselves become part of the audience, encouraging Kel to get dressed all by himself (without a net!), eat new foods like broccoli (eww!), and take a bath (gasp!). Bold, interactive, and downright silly, this is a book to make kids cheer and attempt some “stunts” of their own.

Garfield: Large and in Charge by Jim Davis

Garfield Rules He’s the Lord of Lethargy, the Sultan of Snacking, and he’s back with an all-new collection of comics. Loyal subjects of His Royal Roundness are hereby ordered to make merry at the fat cat’s kingdom, where laughter reigns supreme

Hot, Sour, Salty, Sweet by Sherri L. Smith
Lexile: 660L

Ana Shen has what her social studies teacher calls a “marvelously biracial, multicultural family” but what Ana simply calls a Chinese American father and an African American mother. And on eighth-grade graduation day, that’s a recipe for disaster. Both sets of grandparents are in town to celebrate, and Ana’s best friend has convinced her to invite Jamie Tabata-the cutest boy in school-for a home-cooked meal. Now Ana and her family have four hours to prepare their favorite dishes for dinner, and Grandma White and Nai Nai can’t agree on anything. Ana is tired of feeling caught between her grandparents and wishes she knew whose side she was supposed to be on. But when they all sit down for their hot, sour, salty, and sweet meal, Ana comes to understand how each of these different flavors, like family, fit perfectly together. “From the Hardcover edition.”

Julian Rodriguez: Invasion of the Relatives by Alexander Stadler
Lexile: 670L

First Officer Julian Rodriguez battles his worst foe yet — a band of genetically linked mini-brains known as The Relatives First Officer Julian Rodriguez has seen his share of injustice during his time on Earth, and now he’s facing his greatest challenge yet: the invasion of his home base by a group of genetically linked mini-brains known as “the relatives.” He’s been moved from his personal sleep chamber (bedroom) to a subterranean containment facility (the basement).Then he is forced to participate in a show of ceremonial athleticism (football), and must consume a variety of mystery foods (Thanksgiving dinner). But the ultimate disgrace comes when he is threatened with contamination by mini-brain DNA