If you enjoy books with lots of realistic characters, clever illustrations, and acrostic poems, then Scooter by V.B. Williams might be the book you pick up next!
I chose this book at fist because it takes place in New York City during a time that was like when I was a kid. I didn't live in the Big Apple, but I did visit lots and I always thought it would be interesting to live in a big building like the one at 514 Melon Hill Avenue, the main setting of the story.
When I "met" the main character, Elana, and the kids she gets to know form her apartment building, I felt like they were very realistic and they reminded me of friends and neighbors I grew up with. There are kids who behave strangely, kids who are trustworthy, and even one character (Jimmy Beck) who can be hard to like -- sometimes.
The problems these young characters face are also ones that seem a little more like those that happen in real-life, which can make the book seem a little more challenging. Sometimes this can make Scooter seem like a sad or a upsetting book, but it might help readers feel like they are more mature and grown-up.
Reading this book aloud to the class, I found it was fun to share the black & white sketches. Each chapter has an acrostic poem that helps get you ready to know what might happen, or which new character we might meet.
When the book got a little too sad, I decided to stop... but many kids in 3S wanted to keep going! Now that it has been such a long time since we read about the kids of Melon Hill Avenue, I wonder if we should keep going with Scooter or not. Either way, I know a couple kids in our class will want to find out how everything turns out for Elana and her gang. What do you think about this book?
When I "met" the main character, Elana, and the kids she gets to know form her apartment building, I felt like they were very realistic and they reminded me of friends and neighbors I grew up with. There are kids who behave strangely, kids who are trustworthy, and even one character (Jimmy Beck) who can be hard to like -- sometimes.
The problems these young characters face are also ones that seem a little more like those that happen in real-life, which can make the book seem a little more challenging. Sometimes this can make Scooter seem like a sad or a upsetting book, but it might help readers feel like they are more mature and grown-up.
Reading this book aloud to the class, I found it was fun to share the black & white sketches. Each chapter has an acrostic poem that helps get you ready to know what might happen, or which new character we might meet.
When the book got a little too sad, I decided to stop... but many kids in 3S wanted to keep going! Now that it has been such a long time since we read about the kids of Melon Hill Avenue, I wonder if we should keep going with Scooter or not. Either way, I know a couple kids in our class will want to find out how everything turns out for Elana and her gang. What do you think about this book?