Charlotte's Web

White, E. B. (1952). Charlotte's Web. HarperCollins Publishers.

Plot: Wilbur is the runt of his litter of piglets, and when Mr. Arable the farmer decides to kill Wilbur, his daughter Fern begs him not to. It works, and it was love at first for Wilbur and Fern. When Wilbur gets older he is sold to Mr. Zuckerman and goes to live on his farm. Fern visits him as often as she can, but Wilbur is miserable and lonely, and then he hears a warm voice that belongs to Charlotte, a spider. They become good friends, but when Wilbur learns that the farmer plans to kill him to have him for dinner, he retirns to being miserable. Charlotte comes up witha plan to show Wilbur off as special, hoping this would save his life. She wrote "Some Pig" in her web, and an astonished Zuckerman did not kill Wilbur. She continued to write messages about Wilbur, and he soon became famous.

Genre: Fantasy, friendship

Suggested Reading Level: Grades 4-6

Subjects/themes: Friendship, farm life, death, animals, pigs, growing up, spiders.

Awards:

• Newbery Honor Book
• American Library Association Notable Book
• Horn Book Fanfare
• Massachusetts Children's Book Award
• Lewis Carroll Shelf Award

Also by E. B. White:

• Stuart Little
• The Trumpet of the Swan

Twilight (Film)

(2008). Twilight. Summit Entertainment.

Based on the book Twilight, written by Stephanie Meyer.

Directed by: Catherine Hardwicke

Starring:

Robert Pattinson
Kristen Stuart
Billy Burke
Peter Facinelli
Taylor Lautner
Cam Gigandet

Plot: Bella Swan has come to live with her father in Forks, a dreary cold, rainy town in Washington. She meets handsome Edward Cullen, who she is intrigued by and soon finds herself falling in love with him. The only problem is he is a vampire and the scent of her blood is like a drug to him. His love for her is stronger and he decides that staying away from her is not an option. Edward and his family have chosen not to drink the blood of humans, instead drinking the blood of animals to survive. One day Bella and Edward join his family for a game of baseball and a trio of vampires interrupt the game. The vampires smell Bella and a stand off begins between the two clans, so Edward takes Bella away to safety, knowing that the vampires won't give up until they get her.

Genre: Fantasy

Interest level: Ages 8 & up

Other movies in this series:

• Twilight Saga: New Moon
• Twilight Saga: Eclipse

Awards:

• 2009 MTV Movie Award for Best Female Performance - Kristen Stewart
• 2009 MTV Movie Award for Best Fight - Cam Gigandet and Robert Pattinson
• 2009 MTV Movie Award for Best Kiss - Robert Pattinson and Kristen Stewart
• 2009 MTV Movie Award for Best Movie
• 2009 MTV Movie Award for Best Breakthrough Male Performance - Robert Pattinson
• 2009 Teen Choice Award for Choice Movie Actor Drama- Robert Pattinson
• 2009 Teen Choice Award for Choice Movie Actress Drama - Kristin Stewart
• 2009 Teen Choice Award for Choice Movie Villain - Cam Gigandet
• 2009 Teen Choice Award for Choice Movie Album Soundtrack

Mr. Popper's Penguins

Atwater, F. & Atwater, R. (1938). New York, NY: Little Brown and Company.

Plot: Mr. Popper is a house painter who regrets not ever traveling, especially to the North and South Poles. He idolizes an explorer named Admiral Drake, whom he had written to. While listening to a broadcast from the Antarctic, Admiral Drake mentions Mr. Popper from Stillwater and says to expect a surprise. Soon a box arrives and inside is a penguin! Mr. Popper names him Captain Cook after another explorer. To keep Captain Cook cool, Mr. Popper keeps him in the fridge and has holes drilled for ventilation and a handle installed on the inside so Captain Cook can come in and out whenever he wants. Mrs. Popper makes sure to buy shrimp for him to eat, though sea food gets expensive and they don't have much money. As it is, the family will have to live off of beans till Spring. Captain Cook gets ill, and Mr. popper writes to a curator of an aquarium wwho writes back that it might be loneliness, so he sends a female penguin named Greta to Mr. Popper. Captain Cook and Greta get along fine and have 10 baby penguins. Now Mr. Popper has 12 penguins, and to deal with the cost he and Mrs. Popper decide to create an act with the penguins because they are so funny and cute and they'll call them Popper's Performing Penguins.

Genre: Humor

Suggested reading level: Grades 4-6

Subjects/themes: penguins, explorations, follow your dreams, daydreaming, humor.

Awards:

• Newbery Honor 1939
• Young Reader's Choice Award 1941

Claudia and Mean Janine

Martin, A. M., & Telgemeier, R. (2008). New York, NY: Scholastic.

Plot: Claudia feels like her genius older sister Janine is the favorite. She always gets good grades and Claudia is a "C" student. Her parents think that Janine's studies are more important than Claudia being a part of the Baby-Sitter's Club, and are always asking her to do things that interfere with her baby-sitting duties instead of asking Janine. When Mimi, Claudia's grandmother, has a stroke after an argument with Claudia about fighting with Janine, Claudia feels like it was her fault. Claudia volunteers her time to help Mimi recuperate, while the rest of the baby-sitter's begin a new summer platgroup for their children that they baby-sit for. Will Claudia and Janine ever see eye to eye and get along?

Genre: Graphic novel

Suggested reading level: Grades 4-6

Subjects/themes: sibling rivalry, friendship, clubs, baby-sitting, summer, education.

Other books in this series:

• The Truth About Stacey
• Mary Anne Saves the Day
• Kristy's Great Idea

Twilight

Meyer, S. (2008). Twilight. Thorndike Press.

Plot: Bella Swan has just moved to Forks, Washington to live with her dad. She meets the handsome Edward Cullen, who at first seems repulsed by her, but later can't seem to stay away from her. Bella's friend Jacob tells her the stories of the Cold Ones and she puts the clues together. Edward is a vampire. After Edward saves her life in Port Angeles, the two decide not to fight it anymore and that they are going to be together. They are falling in love, passionately. Edward and his family of vampires don't drink human blood, but other vampires do and once they catch Bella's scent she is in serious danger!

Genre: Fantasy

Suggested reading level: Grades 6 & up

Subjects/themes: Vampires, love, family, Washington, school, death, revenge.

Awards:

• School Library Journal Best Books of the Year 2005
• Bluegrass Award 2007
• Garden State Children's Books Award 2008
• Pennsylvania Young Reader's Choice Award 2008
• Garden State Teen Book Award 2008

www.kidsreads.com (Website)

http://www.kidsreads.com/

Genre: Informational Website

Interest level: Ages 8 & up

Content: I found this website when I was searching for books that had been turned into films for the media group project. It was very useful because this site has a section dedicated to listing these films, with film information and the plot of the movie. If you are interested in finding out what books will be coming out soon, Kidsreads has you covered. Want to test your knowledge of Harry Potter? How about the Mostly Ghostly series? Take the Kidsreads Trivia Challenge and see how you do! There is a list of books recommended for boys, which is a good way to start a reluctant reader out. Looking for book reviews by a credible source? Look no further! Love a good series, check the Kidsreads section on series books. There is so much to check out on this website that a book lover would enjoy. Now get going!

Subjects: Books, trivia, authors, reviews, movies, new in paperbacks, podcasts.

Similar sites:
http://www.teenreads.com/

The View From Saturday

Konigsburg, E. L. (1996). The View From Saturday. New York, NY: Atheneum Books for Young Readers.

Plot: Sixth graders from Epiphany Middle School in New York have never beaten the seventh and eighth graders during the Academic Bowl, but Mrs. Olinsky's team did it. They took it all the way to the championships and won that too. But the question remains: How did she choose her team? This book takes you on each journey that Noah, Nadia, Ethan and Julian went through before they became The Souls and the closest of friends, and a tea party that changed everything.

Genre: Realistic fiction

Suggested Reading Level: Grades 5-8

Subjects/themes: Academic competition, prejudice, confidence, friendship, bullying, divorce, marriage, family.

Other books by E. L. Konigsburg:

• From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler
• Jennifer, Hecate, Macbeth, William McKinley, and me, Elizabeth

Awards

• Newbery Medal

NBA Jam (Video Game)

Released: October 2010

Console: Wii

Also available for these consoles: Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3.

Interest level: Ages 8 & up

Genre: Sports - Basketball

Contents: For basketball fans, this game is a ton of fun. Choose your favorite players from any basketball team, from the Los Angeles Lakers Kobe Bryant or Pau Gasol or the Miami Heats LeBron James. There are many teams to choose from, but there are only some players to choose from, not the whole team. Some cool features are are you can choose to give your players big heads, which look funny, or you can choose to leave them regular. The Campaign Mode is hilarious: you can choose to play the Clintons, Bush or Sarah Palin. There are many classic players and codes that you can unlock, so play and have some fun. Dunking in this game is great, as well as pushing other players down to get them out of your way ( yeah, don't worry about fouls).

What you need: Wii controls and Nunchuks.

Mario Kart (Video Game)

Released: April 2008

Game Console: Nintendo Wii

Interest level: Ages 7 & up

Genre: Video game - Racing

Contents: For fans of previous Mario Karts, like the one for Nintendo 64 or Mario Kart Double dash for Gamecube, this version has better graphics and a lot of extras. Race on brand new tracks or race familiar old tracks from previous versions. As always you can choose your favorite character like Princess Peach, Mario, Luigi, Bowser, Yoshi, Toad, etc. Then your choose your car, which for me is always the fun part, and if you don't want to drive a car choose a motorcycle! Those are kind of hard for me, but I'm still getting used to them. Another fun feature is of course all the items you can pick up to deter other drivers from winning, like the blue shell with wings, which will blow up the driver in first place and anyone around them, or the bullet that takes you flying through the track past opponents for a short time. This is a really fun game!

What you need: Wii controls, Nunchuks.

Optional: Racing wheel

When You Reach Me

Stead, R. (2009). When You Reach Me. New York, NY: Random House Publishing.

Plot: It is 1979 in New York City and Miranda has lost her best friend Sal after he got punched in the stomach and decided that he didn't want to be friends anymore. Miranda is helping her mom study up because she is going to be a contestant on The $20,000 Pyramid. The spare key is missing after Miranda received a strange note asking about the key and telling her that they are going to save the life of her friend. How does this person seem to know things about Miranda's life, things that haven't happened yet even? Miranda goes on to receive more creepy notes, even when working at Jimmy's Sandwich Shop while counting bread rolls during lunch time. Miranda makes many references in the story about her favorite book, A Wrinkle in Time, which she reads time and again.

Genre: Mystery

Suggested reading level: Grades 6-8

Subjects/themes: friendship, growing up, family, mystery, sci-fi

Awards:

• Newbery Medal 2010
• Publisher's Weekly Best Children's Books 2010
• Book Sense Book of the Year 2010
• Boston Globe-Horn Book Awards 2010

Speak Now (Song)

Album: Speak Now

Song titled: Speak Now

Artist: Taylor Swift

Released: Oct. 25, 2010

Run Time: 4:01

Label: Big Machine Records

Genre: Country/Pop



Partial Lyrics:

I am not the kind of girl

Who should be rudely barging in

On a white veil occasion

But you are not the kind of boy

Who should be marrying the wrong girl

I sneak in and see your friends

And her snotty little family

All dressed in pastel

And she is yelling at a bridesmaid

Somewhere back inside a room

Wearing a gown shaped like a pastry

This is surely not

What you thought it would be

I lose myself in a daydream

Where I stand and say

Don't say yes, run away now

I'll meet you when you're out

Of the church at the back door

Don't wait or say a single vow

You need to hear me out

And they said speak now

Other songs on the album: Mine; Sparks Fly; Back to December; Dear John; Mean; The Story of Us; Never grow Up; Enchanted; Better Than Revenge; Innocent; Haunted; Last Kiss; Long Live.

Personal thoughts: Taylor Swift's lyrics are always so honest and are famously written about guys she's dated in the past. She is a true romantic and I admit that I like her music very much.



Camp Rock (Film)

(2008). Camp Rock. Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment.

Run time: 98 minutes

Disney Channel Original Movie

Directed by: Matthew Diamond

Starring:
Demi Lavato
Joe Jonas
Nick Jonas
Kevin Jonas

Plot: Mitchie is an aspiring singer and wants to go to Camp Rock, but it is too expensive, so to go her mom has to be the caterer for the camp and Mitchie has to help out in the kitchen. Scandalous Shane Gray, lead singer of Connect 3, is at the camp trying to repair his image and hears a girl singing with a beautiful voice, but she takes off before he can see her. Mitchie tries to keep the fact that she helps out in the kitchen secret and Shane befriends her while still searching for the girl with the voice.

Genre: Musical

Interest level: ages 8-12

Subjects/themes: music, singing, dancing, be true to yourself, romance.

Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs (Film)

(2009). Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs. Sony Pictures.

Run time: 90 minutes

Directed by: Phil Lord & Christopher Miller

Starring:

Bill Hader
Neil Patrick Harris
Anna Faris
James Caan
Bruce Campbell
Mr. T
Andy Sandberg

Plot: Wannabe scientist Flint Lockwood has been trying all his life to create something amazing but never succeeded, like his spray-on shoes that don't come off. He isn't very popular in his hometown of Swallow Falls, until he finally creates something that does work. He creates the Diatonic Super Mutating Dynamic Food Replicator, which turns water molecules into food. The first time the device works it rains burgers all over the town. The mayor of Swallow Falls sees dollar signs and wants Flint to make it rain food three times a day, and to get tourists to come they rename the town Chewandswallow. He doesn't realize it yet, but Flint might have bitten off more than he can chew. Pun intended. =)

Genre: Fantasy

Interest level: ages 8 & up

Subjects/themes: family, growing up, science, food, romance.

Weekend

Pike, C. (1986). Weekend. New York, NY: Point.

Plot: Shani and her friends are going down to Mexico for a fun weekend at Lena and Robin's beachside house. Robin is ill and has to be on dialysis because her kidneys are failing. Someone has something other than fun planned and terrible things start to happen. Robin was poisoned at a party, which is the cause of her illness, and this person is going to find out who did it, no matter what.

Genre: Horror, thriller

Suggested reading level: Grades 6-9

Subjects/themes: Jealousy, revenge, friendship, family, kidney failure.

Other books by Christopher Pike:

• Remember Me
• Chain Letter
• Bury Me Deep
• Slumber Party
• Spellbound

Personal thoughts: Christopher Pike is one of my favorite authors alongside R. L. Stine because he writes amazing books for tweens and teens. They are always great reads, especially for mystery/thriller fans, though he has written awesome fantasy/sci-fi books as well. His books are classic and I highly recommend them.

The New Year's Party

Stine, R.L. (1995). The New Year's Party. New York, NY: Simon Pulse.

*Fear Street Super Chiller series

Plot: A cruel joke was played on the new guy, P.J., at Reenie's party. Now P.J. has disappeared and his sister Liz is frantic to find him. Now people from the party are turning up dead, with their necks broken. Liz has invited kids from the last party to her New Year's Party. She has a secret, and doesn't plan on anyone leaving her party... alive.

Genre: Horror, thriller

Suggested reading level: Grades 6-9

Subjects/themes: Ghosts, revenge, death, school.

Other Fear Street Books:

• The Wrong Number
• Broken Hearts
• Silent Night
• The Stepsister
• Secret Admirer
• Halloween Party
• Bad Dreams

Personal thoughts: The Fear Street series were my favorite books to read when I was in middle school. My sister gave me the ultimate gift one year for Christmas: Fear Street books. I was so psyched! Rereading this one brought back so many memories, and I can't wait to start reading them all over again.

Hannah Montana (Television)

Episode titled: He Ain't a Hottie, He's My Brother

Season 3, episode 1.

Disney Channel original series.

Starring:
Miley Cyrus, Emily Osment, Mitchel Musso, Jason Earles, Billy Ray Cyrus.

Plot: Miley has a dream that her brother Jackson is about to kiss her friend Lily. When she wakes up she decides that she had the dream because she ate her dad's Pork Rinds before bed. Well Liliy comes over and really does like Jackson. Miley is creeped out by how smitten Lily is. Lily asks Miley to find out if Jackson likes her back and he says he does. Miley tells Lily that He doesn't and Lily cries. Jackson comes out to find Llily and Miley tells him that Lily meant she likes President Andrew Jacks on, not him. He is upset and runs off crying. On the Mack & Mickey Morning Show Miley is performing as Hannah Montana when Jackson and Lily start arguing. During the interview Jackson and Lily say great things about Miley/Hannah, like how she is honest and always there for them. She fesses up about how she lied to them and they get mad at her. Later Lily explains to Miley that it is her business who she dates and Miley will just have to live with it. Miley agrees. Turns out the whole thing was a dream, Lily does not like Jackson and all is sane in Miley's world.

Genre: Musical, humor

Interest level: ages 8-12

Subjects/themes: pop stars, music, friendship, family.

Awards:

• 2007 Kids Choice Award for Favorite Television Actress - Miley Cyrus
• 2007 Teen Choice Award for Favorite Television Actress - Miley Cyrus
• 2007 Teen Choice for TV Show Comedy - Hannah Montana cast and crew
• 2008 Kids Choice for Favorite Television Actress - Miley Cyrus
• 2008 Teen Choice for Favorite Television Actress - Miley Cyrus
• 2008 Teen Choice for TV Show Comedy- Hannah Montana cast and crew

Wizards of Waverly Place (Television)

Episode titled: Smarty Pants

Season 2, episode 1.

Disney Channel original series.

Starring:
Selena Gomez, David Henrie, Jake T. Austin, Jennifer Stone, Maria Canals Barrera, David Deluise.

Plot: The episode opens with the wizards getting a lesson on Wizard Wear. Smarty pants give the person wearing them super knowledge on everything, but there are side effects if you wear them too long. At school Alex agrees to help set up for the Quiz Bowl so that she can talk to Dean. Her friend Harper is on the girl's team of the Quiz Bowl, and after one of her team members gets shocked by electicity, thanks to Alex for setting up the wiring to the buzzers wrong, Alex joins to help her friend out. Only problem is Alex isn't book smart. She decides to wear the Smarty Pants and ansers all the questions during the first round at the Quiz Bowl. Harper gets upset, so Alex takes the pants off, but she left them on too long and now she has skeleton legs. She leaves embarrassed and Harper goes on to win for the girl's side. Luckily everyone will think Alex was only wearing skeleton tights.

Genre: Fantasy

Interest level: ages 8-12

Subjects/themes: wizards, magic, friendship, family.

Awards:

• 2009 Nickelodeon Kid's Choice Awards for Favorite TV Actress - Selena Gomez
• 2009 Primetime Emmy for Outstanding Children's Programming
• 2009 Alma Award for Special Achievement Comedy Television Actress- Selena Gomez
• 2010 Nickelodeon Kid's Choice Awards for Favorite TV Actress- Selena Gomez
• 2010 Teen Choice Award for Choice TV Actress Comedy- Selena Gomez

The Vampire Diaries (Television)

Based on the Vampire Diaries series by L.J. Smith.

Episode titled: Pilot

Starring:
Nina Dobrev as Elena Gilbert
Paul Wesley as Stefan Salvatore
Ian Somerhalder as Damon Salvatore

Originally aired September 10, 2009 on the CW television network.

Timeslot: Thursday at 8 pm.

Plot: Nina begins the new school year in the town of Mystic Falls, trying to come to terms with the death of her parents. She and her younger brother Jeremy are living with their aunt. She is immediately attracted to the mysterious new guy at school, Stefan, who she doesn't know is a vampire. They are in many of the same classes together and she invites him to a party. The two of them have a few things in common, like writing in journals and that both their parents are dead. Elena's brother is having a difficult time coping and is messing with drugs. The girl he likes, Vicky, isn't interested in him, and gets bitten by a vampire and taken to a hospital. Stefan's brother Damon, also a vampire, is the one who bit Vicky. After a fight between the two brothers we learn that Stefan doesn't want to live as a vampire and refuses to feed on humans, while Damon continues to hunt. It is revealed that they can live in the sunlight by wearing special rings.
*Due to references about sex, drugs and alcohol, I would recommend this show to older tweens.

Genre: Horror, fantasy

Interest level: Ages 13 & up

Subjects: Vampires, romance, loss, school, growing up.

Awards:

• Teen Choice 2010- Choice for Fantasy/Sci-fi TV Show
• Teen Choice 2010- Choice for Fantasy/Sci-fi Actor -Paul Wesley
• Teen Choice 2010- Choice for Fantasy/Sci-fi Actress -Nina Dobrev
• Teen Choice 2010- Choice TV Villain -Ian Somerhalder
• Teen Choice 2010- Choice for Breakout Show

The Witches (Film)

(1990). The Witches. Warner Bros.

Based on the book The Witches by Roald Dahl.

Directed by: Nicolas Roeg

Starring:

Anjelica Huston as the Grand High Witch
Jasen Fisher as Luke
Mai Zetterling as Grandma
Charles Potter as Bruno

Running time: 91 minutes

Plot: After the death of his parents, Luke and his grandmother move to England and she explains to him all about witches and how to spot them. She tells him of all the children she knows of who have mysteriously disappeared because of witches. Witches hate children. Look for purple eyes, gloved hands, itchy scalps, square feet with no toes. When Luke's grandma falls ill, she is advised to spend some time by the sea, so the two go stay at a fancy hotel. It just so happens that the annual witch convention is being held at the same htoel. Luke finds out too late and gets turned into a mouse, along with another boy named Bruno. Before he was turned into a mouse, Luke overheard the Grand High Witches plans for the witches of England to turn all the children into mice by putting a potion into chocolates. Luke must find his grandma and stop the witches!

Genre: Fantasy

Interest level: Ages 9 & up

Subjects/themes: witches, loss, family, England, fantasy. 

Esperanza Rising

Ryan, P. M. (2002). Esperanza Rising. New York, NY: Scholastic.

Plot: On the eve of her 13th birthday Esperanza's father is killed by bandits, and her mother makes the difficult decision to take Esperanza to California with their trusted friends and servants. They leave after their home in  Mexico is burnt down by her father's brothers because her mother wouldn't marry one of them. It is difficult for Esperanza to get used to her new environment and living in a shack while her mother and the others pick vegetables and fruit, since she is used to being waited on and wearing the finest dresses. She overcomes many difficult obstacles, and proves herself to be a strong individual.

Genre: Historical fiction

Suggested reading level: Grades 5-8

Subjects/themes: Mexico, loss, family, prejudice, immigration, civil rights.

Other Books by Pam Munoz Ryan:

• The Dreamer
• Becoming Naomi Leon
• Paint the Wind

Awards:

• Pura Belpre Award