BOOKS FOR CHILDREN: How do you know what's good?

While there are many places (especially on the internet) where you can read book reviews, how do you really know if it's a good book or not when a single book might receive anywhere from one to five stars?
The answer: read the reviews of a book-addicted teacher librarian.


NOTE:
** The age recommendations are guidelines only; whether or not a certain book is suitable for a particular child depends on multiple factors, including their maturity, reading level, interests, and in some cases their experiences.
** While the ratings are largely based on my own personal appreciation/enjoyment of the book, they are also influenced by my experiences as a teacher and the potential attraction for the target-aged child (acknowledging that what one child may love, another may find exceptionally boring). A rating of 5 indicates the book is likely to be popular with the majority.


Tuesday, June 22, 2010

Boy In The Striped Pajamas

AUTHOR: John Boyne (Ireland) (2006)

NOTES: A perfect beginners introduction to the topic, and pertinent to any age child studying the 2nd World War, written from the perspective (and in the language) of a 9-year old boy. It also lends itself to discussion, as much of the detail is only alluded to (people falling down and not getting up, people disappearing after going on marches) and exact names are not used ("the Fury" and "Out-With"); a 9-y.o. reporting on something he doesn't fully understand.

ISSUES: friendship, family, the holocaust (death, starvation, etc).

PLOT: Written from the perspective of 9-year-old Bruno whose father is a commandant in the German army and assigned to work at a concentration camp, living in a house just outside the fence of the camp. Bruno ends up befriending a Jewish boy through the fence.

AGE: For ages 9-109, but intellectually and emotionally the child needs to be mature enough to process it.

GENRE: Historical Fiction. RATING: 5 stars

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