Genius Squad

Jinks, C. (2008). Genius squad. Orlando: Harcourt.

            In this sequel to Evil Genius, Cadel is now living with foster parents. He still does not know where he was born, who his true father is, or when he was born. His life is made even worse due to his foster brother "Mace" (real name: Thomas) constantly bullying him. With no school to go to due to his questionable legal status, Cadel spends his time either on the computer. The police, and FBI also occasionally turn up to question him on what he knows about Dr. Darkkon, Prosper English and the Axis Institute. In this sequel, it is once again up to Cadel to save the world from evil.

Evil Genius

Jinks, C. (2007). Evil genius. Orlando: Harcourt.

            This is a story of Cadel Piggot, who is taken to a psychologist because his insane and dangerous intelligence. He has hacked into high-security networks and can do great harm with his mind. His strife for moral guidance is complicated by Phineas Darkkon, an evil genius of sorts whom he is told is his father, and Thaddeus Roth, his psychologist whom the police identify as Prosper English, a notorious criminal and right-hand man of Dr. Darkkon, and who later also claims to be Cadel's father.He also meets a number of other talented people at the Axis Institute, which is the university Phineas Darkkon had created for him to get his World Domination degree. His specialty is IT and hacking.

The True Meaning of Smekday

Rex, A. (2009). The true meaning of Smekday. New York: Disney-Hyperion

Books.

This exciting story is told in essay format, to be put in a time capsule and opened after one hundred years. The main character is eleven-year-old Gratuity Tucci, a.k.a. Tip, who must survive on her own after her mother is abducted by aliens. The aliens arrive and take over the Earth, which they call Smekland after their leader, Captain Smek. Christmas, the day of the aliens’ arrival on Earth, is renamed "Smekday".

On "Moving Day", all humans are required to relocate to Florida. Tip decides to drive herself instead of being moved by the aliens. She soon meets an alien, J.Lo. J.Lo is actually really friendly and the two become friends. They two eventually find out they cannot go to Florida anymore and need to go to Arizona. In this cross-country journey, they run into all sorts of entertaining problems. Ultimately, the aliens are trying to completely take over, and it is up to Tip and J.Lo to find Tip's mother and save the world.

Two Bad Ants

Allsburg, C. (1988). Two bad ants. Boston: Houghton Mifflin.

         Chris Van Allsburg brings us on a journey with two ants that venture into a kitchen. The three-time Caldecott medalist creates a suspenseful, entertaining tale perfect for primary grades. With the illustrations taking us through the adventure from ant’s view, this story is wonderful for teach perspective.

Charlie and the Chocolate Factory

Dahl, R., & Schindelman, J. (1964). Charlie and the chocolate factory. New

York: Knopf.

            In this charming story that many adore, Charlie experiences a fanciful experience in Willy Wonka’s chocolate factory that will change his life forever. This is a wonderful story that can definitely be used in the classroom. Dahl’s writing is vivid and descriptive, perfect for a classroom novel study or book club.

Movie trailer here

Where the Wild Things Are

Sendak, M. (1963). Where the wild things are. New York: Harper & Row.

            This book is an American classic and a childhood favorite. Max goes on an incredible adventure and scares off intimidating beasts. When he finally ventures him, he finds a nice warm meal waiting for him. This is one my favorite stories to dramatize with a class.