The Scavenge for Great Reads by Oscar Duran

#6 Pure Beautiful Meadow Award Winning book

oaduran — 2021-01-28 06:35:35 UTC

2020: Dancing Hands : How Teresa Carreño Played the Piano for President Lincoln by Margarita Engle
As a little girl, Teresa Carreño loved to let her hands dance across the beautiful keys of the piano. If she felt sad, music cheered her up, and when she was happy, the piano helped her share that joy.
Teresa kept playing, and soon she grew famous as the talented Piano Girl who could play anything from a folk song to a sonata. So famous, in fact, that President Abraham Lincoln wanted her to play at the White House! Yet with the country torn apart by war, could Teresa’s music bring comfort to those who needed it most?

#2 Non-Fiction: A break from pretentious fiction novels

oaduran — 2021-01-28 06:36:13 UTC

A Light in the Darkness : Janusz Korczak, his Orphans, and the Holocaust
by Albert Marrin

Tells the story of Janusz Korczak, a Polish Jewish doctor who ran an orphanage for Jewish children in Poland and was eventually executed by the Nazis along with his staff and wards

#1 HISD's Name that book! . . . cause' no one else can't (Except for you To Kill a Mocking Bird)

oaduran — 2021-01-28 06:39:38 UTC

They Both Die at the End
by Adam Silvera
In a near-future New York City where a service alerts people on the day they will die, teenagers Mateo Torrez and Rufus Emeterio meet using the Last Friend app and are faced with the challenge of living a lifetime on their End Day.

#3 If you (for some reason) loved Divergent, then you'll love-

oaduran — 2021-01-28 06:43:01 UTC

The Light at the Bottom of the World
by London Shah

Enduring a subterranean existence beneath the ruins of a submerged London at the end of the 21st century, a teen joins a prestigious submersible race in the hope of clearing her father’s name before unexpected corruption exposes devastating truths.

#4 LONE STAR 2020 Recommendations

oaduran — 2021-01-28 18:01:03 UTC

Small Spaces
by Katherine Arden

After eleven-year-old Ollie's school bus mysteriously breaks down on a field trip, she has to venture through frightening woods, relying on her wits to survive and sticking to small spaces

#5 Great Graphic Novels for Tween Queens... but mostly Kings

oaduran — 2021-01-28 18:45:59 UTC

Lowriders in Space by Cathy Camper

Lowriders in Space emphasizes the collaborative nature of creating a prize-winning lowrider. Elirio Malaria, Flapjack Octopus, and Lupe Impala have to work together to survive their off-planet adventure and to win the car competition.

#8 Divorce Books for Kids

oaduran — 2021-01-28 18:58:31 UTC

Weekends With Dad: What to Expect When Your Parents Divorce
by Melissa Higgins

When your parents divorce, it can feel like the world turns upside down. What do you do? Whether you live mostly at your mom's or dad's, this story can help you through the tough times.

#9 Graphic Novel for 5th Graders

oaduran — 2021-01-28 19:05:02 UTC

Diary of a Wimpy kid: Wrecking Ball
by Jeff Kinney

When an unexpected inheritance gives his family an opportunity to flip their home, Greg and his parents encounter rotten wood, toxic mold, unwelcome pests and a sinister force that make them question if the renovations are worth all the trouble.

#10 Non-Fiction appealing books for girls

oaduran — 2021-01-28 19:06:59 UTC

Super Foods for Super Kids Cookbook : 50 Delicious (and Secretly Healthy) Recipes Kids Will Love to Make
by Noelle Martin

Calling all super kids--dinner needs your help! Pizza for breakfast? Nachos made from apples? There's something delicious going on in the kitchen, and your mission is to find out exactly what it is--and learn how to make it yourself. Super Foods for Super Kids Cookbook is your sidekick on this cooking adventure. This kids' cookbook has cool kitchen tutorials that teach you how to read a recipe, talk like a chef, and safely use the tools needed to sizzle, chop, and simmer your favorite foods. With easy-to-read instructions and 50 recipes for yummy treats, snacks, and meals, you can whip up fun dishes like Out-Of-This-World Oatmeal Pancakes or Banana Sushi.

Seed Folk

oaduran — 2021-05-10 17:45:51 UTC

By Paul Fleischman
A children's novel by Paul Fleischman. It was published in 1997. The book describes the creation of a community garden on Gibb Street in Cleveland, Ohio, from the point of view of thirteen separate narrators each from a different ethnic group.

The Lion of Mars

oaduran — 2021-05-10 17:52:45 UTC

By Jennifer L. Holm
A story of 11-year-old Bell, the youngest kid in the American settlement on Mars in the year 2091. Keeping a new settlement going takes a lot of hard work, but there are chances for fun, too. Until all the adults in the settlement come down with a mysterious illness one by one.

Just a Drop of Water

oaduran — 2021-05-11 04:32:26 UTC

Kerry O'Malley Cerra
A powerful and timely and it should be on all middle school lists. Jake and Sam are two best friends whose lives and friendship are turned upside down as a direct result of the horrific events of 9/11. It's the story about friendship, doing what's right, and not giving in to anger and fear.

The Last Stop at the Market

oaduran — 2021-05-11 04:37:19 UTC

Matt De La Pena
A story about appreciating differences, happiness, and inequity. Every Sunday after church, CJ and his Nana take the bus to its last stop on Market Street. This Sunday, CJ begins to wonder why they have to wait in the rain, why they don't have a car, why they always make this trip.

The Best of Iggy

oaduran — 2021-05-11 04:39:11 UTC

By Annie Barrows
Meet 9-year-old Iggy Frangi. He’s not a bad kid, he’s really not. Okay, so he’s done a few (a few is anything up to 100) bad things. And okay, he’s not very sorry about most of them. People make a big deal about nothing. What’s a little pancake here and there? Is that something to get mad about? Iggy doesn’t think so. No one got hurt, so there’s no problem. No one got hurt except for that one time, that one time when the Best Idea Ever turned into the Worst Idea of All Time.

When You Reach Me

oaduran — 2021-05-11 04:40:30 UTC

By Rebecca Stead
When You Reach Me is a science fiction book written by Rebecca Stead in 2009. Science fiction focuses on imaginary concepts like future universes or time travel. When You Reach Me is all about time travel - the main character, Miranda, receives notes predicting the future!

Marvelous Cornelius

oaduran — 2021-05-11 04:45:19 UTC

By Phil Bildner
In this heartwarming book about a real garbage man, Phil Bildner and John Parra tell the inspiring story of a humble man and the heroic difference he made in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. John Parra is an award-winning illustrator designer teacher and fine art painter.

The Lion and Mouse

oaduran — 2021-05-11 04:50:47 UTC

By Jerry Pinkney
In award-winning artist Jerry Pinkney's wordless adaptation of one of Aesop's most beloved fables, an unlikely pair learn that no act of kindness is ever wasted. After a ferocious lion spares a cowering mouse that he'd planned to eat, the mouse later comes to his rescue, freeing him from a poacher's trap. With vivid depictions of the landscape of the African Serengeti and expressively-drawn characters, Pinkney makes this a truly special retelling, and his stunning pictures speak volumes.

Falling Up

oaduran — 2021-05-11 04:52:53 UTC

By Shel Silverstein
Here Silverstein describes tripping, which can sometimes make a person so dizzy that he feels as if he is spinning uncontrollably. This could be the situation the poet describes as "falling up" over houses and trees. Indeed, the end of the poem speaks of dizziness so severe that it causes vomiting.

Chicken Soup for the Soul

oaduran — 2021-05-11 04:57:25 UTC

Chicken Soup for the Soul: Find Your Happiness will encourage readers to pursue their dreams, find their passion and seek joy in their life with its 101 personal and inspiring stories. This book continues Chicken Soup for the Soul's focus on inspiration and hope, reminding us that we all can find our own happiness.