On the First Day of Christmas

Today starts a tradition that is now 4 years old.  Alice, Ever After's Twelve Days of Christmas Books...book suggestions for you and the children in your life.  Generally these are meant to serve as gifts for the holiday season.  However, Hanukkah came early this year and so I send my sincerest apologies for not being ready.

This year, these book suggestions are my gifts to you.  Whether you buy them as a gift or check them out from a library, the next 12 days are going to packed full of amazing books.  Mas is joining me again.  She has some pretty amazing books, as always, coming your way.

To start things off, we have some very special guest bloggers.  I asked some students if they could write their suggestions for you.  What better way to get a good gift for your young reader than to take suggestions from kids themselves?

Kai, Eli and Charlie are the three handsome little guys
standing in front of Jon Klassen, one of our favorites!

These three young gentlemen are very dear to my heart.  Two, Eli and Charlie, are brothers.  Eli was a student of mine for two years. We went to two author readings back in LA and his brother also came along. I consider his family a part of my extended family and was thrilled when both boys offered to write reviews.  Kai was a student of mine for 2 years as well.  He was also a regular attendee of author readings and he was one of the storytellers who performed at the bookstore in LA with me last year.  His family is also fantastic!  Kai's teacher tells me she regularly has to reprimand Kai for reading books under the table.  I have to say, now that I am no longer his teacher, I completely support this type of misbehavior!

Eli and Charlie also came to see Mo Willems with us!

So here you go, your first recommendations for this year's Twelve Days of Books!  Happy reading!

Gregor the Overlander by Suzanne Collins, reviewed by Kai (6th grader)

One of my favorite series that I recently read is called Gregor the Overlander. It is about a boy who falls through a laundry chute after his little sister Boots. He finds himself in a strange land with giant sewer animals and people with extremely pale skin and violet eyes. He finds himself in the midst of a war between the people and rats and is named the "warrior." Later on in the series he finds out he has a gift. Each book is a mission he must complete as each day the large full on war draws near. A really thrilling should-read.



Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Third Wheel by Jeff Kinney, reviewed by Charlie (3rd grader)

This book is about Greg Heffley.  The beginning is about his childhood and then it grows into a Valentines dance. Greg gets a date and he wanted to impress her with a nice car so he brought his best friend Rowley.  The dance didn't go well when he was there so Greg wished he had bought a limo.

I liked this book because I have a lot of things in common with Greg. I liked it so much I read it in one day and it has 217 pages.  I definitely recommend this book.

* Note from me: the new Diary of a Wimpy Kid (DWK) book came out recently.  Check that one out for your DWK fan.

Middle School: The Worst Years of My Life by James Patterson, reviewed by Eli Marcus (6th
Grader)

This book is by James Patterson and is all about a kid who starts his first year of middle school. Now as you can imagine, if the title has the words The Worst Years of My Life in it, it probably has a kid who has a sucky year. His first year of middle school doesn’t go so well. He has a strategy of breaking all of the rules in the school’s code of conduct. Rafe, the main character, has a younger sister, and a brother who tragically dies, but is not forgotten. At the beginning of the book, it seems like Leonardo, the imaginary brother, is real. If you like realistic fiction, then this book is for you.

This book touched me in so many ways. When I started the book, I was nervous to go to middle school. This book made me feel more confident about starting middle school, because of how confident Rafe was. This book was hilarious, insane, and maybe even a bit ridiculous. I felt that this book helped me overcome one of my biggest challenges. Maybe it could do the same for you. This book is a great book “from cover to cover”. This book is inspiring for anyone. I hope you give this book a try.

Knucklehead  by Jon Sciezka, reviewed by Eli (Middle Grade)

This book is by Jon Sciezka and is all about his childhood. This book is a great laugh for everyone. From trading jobs with his younger brothers and switch from doggy duty patrol to cooking to breaking Gregg’s (the younger brother’s) collar bone. He explains why having five brothers is such a hassle. He tells about sword fighting with streams of urine. This book is a lot of fun.

This book touched me because of how many of his stories are also my stories. Meg introduced this book to me and my class and I think everyone had a fun time with it. This book touches me because of how many little things, like going to work with his mom, can be so funny. I really think that any child or adult would love this book. If you like to hear crazy family stories, this book is right for you. You could say this book was made for everyone. All ages. And you’d be correct. Try Knucklehead, by Jon Sciezka.