Song of the Sparrow
by Lisa Ann Sandell
This wonderful book, written in free-verse, tells of the legendary King Arthur through the eyes of Elaine, a young girl growing up in Arthur's war camp. All the familiar elements of the story are present: Arthur, Lancelot, Gawain, and Merlin, not to mention the tensions created when Gwynivere arrives at the camp. The story is unique, despite the similarity it has to the traditional versions of the legend: Elaine is a spirited character who offers not only an intimate portrait of life in a medieval war camp, but also of the legendary figures she knows as older brothers.
Blending myth with historical detail, this book is a delightful read for anyone with interest in the Arthurian legends, or for anyone looking for a strong female protagonist.
-Ms. McConnel
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The blog features book reviews written by the students and staff of WFRMS.
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Check out these great summer reads!
Budhos, Marina. Ask Me No Questions
Nadira and her family are living the secret lives of illegal imigrants in New York, but they cannot stay hidden forever.
Cofer, Judith Ortiz. An Island Like You: Stories of the Barrio
This short story collection addresses many realistic and difficult situations young Hispanic immigrants face in the USA.
Hidier, Tanuja Desai. Born Confused.
Born in India but raised in the USA, Dimple feels like she doesn't fit in with either culture: in fact, she is convinced she doesn't fit in anywhere.
Johnson, Angela. Heaven
14-year-old Marley's life spins out of control when she learns that her family has been lying to her about everything, including her identity.
Kadohata, Cynthia. Cracker!: The Best Dog in Vietnam
A young soldier in Vietnam bonds with his bomb-sniffing dog.
Korman, Gordon. Schooled
Cap lives in isolation with his grandmother, a former hippie; but when she falls from a tree and breaks a hip, Cap is sent to a foster home where he has his first experience in a public school.
Landy, Derek. Skulduggery Pleasant (series)
Skulduggery Pleasant a dead, wise-cracking, detective, powerful magician, master of dirty tricks for the greater good, and darkly talented twelve-year old, Stephanie Edgely, work
together to save the world from the likes of the horrible Grotesquery - an unkillable monster assembled from the most fearsome beasts of legend.
Lupica, Mike. Travel Team
After he is cut from his travel basketball team--the very same team that his father once led to prominence--twelve-year-old Danny Walker forms his own team of cast-offs that might have a shot at victory.
Patterson, James. Maximum Ride (series)
Six unique kids are on the run, and their leader, Max, is supposed to save the world.
Sacher, Louis. Small Steps
In this companion book to the well-loved Holes, Armpit is finally released from Camp Greenlake and trying to stay out of trouble, until X-Ray comes back into his life.
Shan, Darren. Cirque du Freak (series)
Two boys who are best friends visit an illegal freak show, where an encounter with a vampire and a deadly spider forces them to make life-changing choices. (Start with book one.)
Yee, Lisa. Stanford Wong Flunks Big-Time
After flunking sixth-grade English, basketball prodigy Stanford Wong must struggle to pass his summer school class, keep his failure from his friends, and satisfy his academically demanding father.
Nadira and her family are living the secret lives of illegal imigrants in New York, but they cannot stay hidden forever.
Cofer, Judith Ortiz. An Island Like You: Stories of the Barrio
This short story collection addresses many realistic and difficult situations young Hispanic immigrants face in the USA.
Hidier, Tanuja Desai. Born Confused.
Born in India but raised in the USA, Dimple feels like she doesn't fit in with either culture: in fact, she is convinced she doesn't fit in anywhere.
Johnson, Angela. Heaven
14-year-old Marley's life spins out of control when she learns that her family has been lying to her about everything, including her identity.
Kadohata, Cynthia. Cracker!: The Best Dog in Vietnam
A young soldier in Vietnam bonds with his bomb-sniffing dog.
Korman, Gordon. Schooled
Cap lives in isolation with his grandmother, a former hippie; but when she falls from a tree and breaks a hip, Cap is sent to a foster home where he has his first experience in a public school.
Landy, Derek. Skulduggery Pleasant (series)
Skulduggery Pleasant a dead, wise-cracking, detective, powerful magician, master of dirty tricks for the greater good, and darkly talented twelve-year old, Stephanie Edgely, work
together to save the world from the likes of the horrible Grotesquery - an unkillable monster assembled from the most fearsome beasts of legend.
Lupica, Mike. Travel Team
After he is cut from his travel basketball team--the very same team that his father once led to prominence--twelve-year-old Danny Walker forms his own team of cast-offs that might have a shot at victory.
Patterson, James. Maximum Ride (series)
Six unique kids are on the run, and their leader, Max, is supposed to save the world.
Sacher, Louis. Small Steps
In this companion book to the well-loved Holes, Armpit is finally released from Camp Greenlake and trying to stay out of trouble, until X-Ray comes back into his life.
Shan, Darren. Cirque du Freak (series)
Two boys who are best friends visit an illegal freak show, where an encounter with a vampire and a deadly spider forces them to make life-changing choices. (Start with book one.)
Yee, Lisa. Stanford Wong Flunks Big-Time
After flunking sixth-grade English, basketball prodigy Stanford Wong must struggle to pass his summer school class, keep his failure from his friends, and satisfy his academically demanding father.
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This blog is maintained by Ms. McConnel, one of the media specialists at WFRMS. The goal of this blog is to provide WFRMS students and parents with a digital resource to guide student book selection. Students and staff may submit book reviews, as well. Most of the titles mentioned here are available at the WFRMS media center, so if you see something that interests you, come in and check it out!