Molly McGinty Has a Really Good Day by Gary Paulsen

Molly McGinty Has a Really Good Day is a cute story about that moment in time when one realizes that life is often not under are control. This story is about hyper-organized Molly McGinty and one day of horrible luck at junior high, much of which is related to her eccentric grandmother tagging along and causing an extreme amount of funny chaos.

A quick fun read.

The Bad Beginning: A Series of Unfortunate Events (Book #01) by Lemony Snicket (Chapter Book)

With a title like The Bad Beginning no one should be suprised that this book will be filled with lots of bad things. This is the first in a series of stories about the Baudelaire children, who very soon in the story become orphans after their parents die in a horrible house fire. Things only seem to get worse for these kids after becoming orphans. The story is told very humorously, but in a very twisted way.

Ages: 9 and up
Keywords: Death, Orphans, Siblings, Mystery

Lesson Plan Ideas: This is another one of those books that as a teacher I don't think I would use in a class setting. A much better book for kids to discover on their own when they are ready for it.

My Little Sister Hugged an Ape by Bill Grossman, Illustrated by Kevin Hawkes

My Little Sister Hugged an Ape is by the creators of the hilarious (and often disgusting) counting book, My Little Sister Ate One Hare. This time Grossman and Hawkes have created an ABC book that will appeal to young children and early elementary students also. The sister is back and she is on a hugging spree, hugging a wide range of animals from apes to zebras.

Lots of silly things happen as the sister hugs each of the animals, some funny, and once again many disgusting. Once again the story is told in an easy to follow rhyming pattern. My only complaint about the book, is that it might be a little long for the youngest of readers. But once again a big thumbs up for the work of Grossman and Hawkes.

Keywords: Alphabet, Sisters, Animals, Humor, Rhyme
Ages: 3 to 8

Lesson Plan Ideas: As a class create an ABC poster of animals. Discuss some of the animals from the story that may not be familiar to the reader such as yaks, ferrets, and umbrella birds.