Category: Family Life Fiction - Blazer Tales

Blazer Tales

There are 4 ways to use this blog: 1) Scroll through to see a variety of books; 2) Click on the 3 lines at the top left to get a drop down menu of books broken down by grade levels; 3) Go to the search box and for title, genre, or subject; and 4) Go to Categories and search by subject matter.

***These reading levels are just a guide to help if needed. Please, please, please do not let any of these numbers deter you from reading whatever you want!!!***

Professional Reader

10 Book Reviews

One-Third Nerd by Gennifer Choldenko

2/2/2019

Interest Level: 3-6; Reading Level 5.8

Have you ever been embarrassed by your family and your home? Liam has! He lives in a run down apartment with his mom and two sisters.His third grad sister, Dakota, is a full blown nerd who loves science and has a hard time making friends. She is always doing things to get them in trouble with their landlord, like blowing up a watermelon in the hallway of the apartment building. His other sister, Izzy, has Down Syndrome and she has no trouble making friends because she hugs everyone, even their cranky landlord, Mr. Torpse. And then there is their German Shepard, Cupcake, who they all loves dearly. The problem is, Cupcake is having trouble using the bathroom in the apartment and Mr. Torpse has told them if they don't get rid of Cupcake then they will be evicted. The only solution the vet has given them is to take Cupcake to a very expensive vet for testing. Liam, Dakota, and Izzy take it on themselves to do whatever it takes to raise the money to save Cupcake. Liam has a lot on him with school and tennis, thank goodness for his best friend, Dodge. But when a new kid comes to school and he comes from a rich family, will Liam even give the friendship a chance, or will he be too embarrassed because of where he lives? More importantly, will they be able to raise the money in the short time they are given before they have to give Cupcake away? Read this precious story of family, friendship, and the perseverance it takes to try to save a four-legged family member. Don't miss this one!

The Epic Fail of Arturo Zamora by Pablo Cartaya

11/21/2018

Interest Level: 5-8; Reading Level: 5.7

If you knew that your family home and your family business was in jeopardy of being destroyed, would you have the guts to stand up and fight for it, or would you sit back and watch it happen? Arturo's vastly large family all lives in one apartment complex community within steps from the family restaurant, La Cocina de la Isla. Arturo has his family, his two best friends, and it is summertime which means basketball, working at the restaurant, and his Abuela's mango smoothies. This is supposed to be an amazing summer until nasty, prize-bribing, land developer comes into their small community wanting to build a high-rise, luxurious, amenity-filled apartment building. When Arturo and his family realize the location for this building is in the lot next door to the family restaurant, which they were planning on expanding to, but also was eventually going to take over and tear down La Cocina de la Isla, the fight is on. Not only does Arturo have all of this to deal with, he also is trying to figure out the feelings he has for a family friend's daughter, Carmen. Can Arturo save his family, save the community, and get the girl? Read this amazing story of a kid who finds his voice and fights for what means the most to him!

I absolutely loved this story! From the very beginning Arturo and his family brings you into their inner-circle of warmth and love. I so wanted to go to La Cocina de la Isla and sit down with them to eat their amazing food. I also wanted to sit in that restaurant and have Arturo's Abuela come and talk to me. I also wanted to stand next to each and every one of them as they fought against injustice. Do not miss this incredible story of family, friends, and love of a community!

What Goes Up by Wen Jane Baragrey

10/27/2018

Interest Level: 3-6; Reading Level: 4.2

Imagine that your house is a magnet for everything to fall on - toys, kites, Frisbees, even people. Now imagine that a NASA satellite is falling out of the sky and Robyn knows that it will fall on her house. She knows death is coming and she doesn't want her name, Robyn Tinkerbell Goodfellow, to be made fun of in the papers. Robyn knows that she must find the father that she has never met in order to get him to change her name legally. She knows her mom will never agree to it so she makes it her mission to find him before the satellite hits. Thank goodness for her best friend, Nickel, who helps her on all of her adventures. Not only is Nickel her best friend, Robyn knows that they will grow up and be married one day, even if Nickel doesn't realize it yet. In the meantime, will Robyn be able to find her father before the satellite crashes down on her house? Will Robyn's obsession to find her father destroy her friendship with Nickel? Will NASA be able to stop the satellite before it lands on Robyn's house? Read this incredible story to find out.

This is probably one of may favorite stories that I've read. Robyn is such a lovable character that draws you into her life and makes you empathize with her struggles to want to find and get to know her dad. As a reader, you will also begin to believe and fear that the satellite really will hit her house. I also love the friendship between Robyn and Nickel. It makes you realize that there is nothing more important than having someone to stick by your side through thick and thin. This book is incredible and a must read for 2018!

The Bookshop Girl by Sylvia Bishop

7/22/2018

Interest Level: 3-6

Would you love to live in a bookstore? What if you didn't know how to read, would you still want to live there? This is the life of Property Jones. She was abandoned in a bookstore when she was very young and raised by the bookstore owner, Netty Jones and her son Michael. Property kept a secret for six years - she never learned how to read- but she pretended she did. The longer she went on pretending that she could read, the harder it was to tell the truth. However, that became the least of Property's problems when her family won the greatest bookstore in all of Britain. The Jones' couldn't believe their luck when they won Albert H. Montgomery's Book Emporium. Little did they know that the reason Mr. Montgomery was so eager to get out is that he bought a very rare and expensive piece of literature but he ruined it by spilling lemonade on it. He owed a very mean man a very large amount of money and he wanted the Joneses to take the fall for it. As Mr. Eliot Pink proceeds to take everything away from the Jones, Property discovers a secret that the evil Mr. Pink wants to stay hidden - the book he sold to Mr. Montgomery is a fake. Now Property has been locked into one of the many rooms in the Emporium and she can't tell her secret to anyone. Will Property be able to escape the room and alert her family of what is going on? Will Property's embarrassing secret that she cannot read ever be revealed? Will Property's family be kicked out of their home or can she expose what Mr. Pink is doing? Read this exciting story of family, friends, and determination, not to mention one of the most amazing bookstores ever!

The Vanderbeekers of 141st Street by Karina Yan Glaser

5/25/2018

Interest Level: 3-6; Reading Level: 5.3

@kidlitexchange #partner Thanks to the @kidlitexchange network for the review copy of this book - all opinions are my own.

What would you do if you were told that had to move from your home for no good reason at all? Would you fight to stay or leave quietly? This is exactly what is happening to the Vanderbeekers. They have been told by their landlord that he will not renew their lease (for no good reason at all) and they have to be out right after the Christmas holidays. Mom and dad are ready to just pack up and find somewhere else to live, even though dad has lived in this neighborhood of Harlem, N.Y. for his whole life. The Vanderbeeker children, however, are ready to fight. Isa, Jessie, Oliver, Hyacinth, and Laney start to devise plans to keep the home they have known for the last six years. With only five days to go before Christmas they come up with one plan after another to get Mr. Beiderman, a.k.a "The Beiderman", to let them stay. Unfortunately, all the plans seem to fail and it actually makes things worse. Will anything change Mr. Beiderman's heart? Will they really have to move away from their friends and family? You must read this book to see what happens to the Vanderbeekers of 141st Street!

The Vanderbeekers will grab your heart from the first page and will not let go! These kids are loving, supportive, resourceful, and determined! I promise as you read this book you will want to somehow become their neighbors just to hang out with them at Castleman's Bakery! Do not miss this heartwarming tale of love, family, and friendship!

Spin the Golden Light Bulb by Jackie Yeager

4/14/2018

Interest Level: 5-8; Reading Level: 5.2

How would you feel if when you were at school and you didn't have a name, just a number? What if you knew you had potential to be something special but you also knew you might be told what you had to do for the rest of your life? This is Kia Krumpet. It is the year 2071 and Kia attends Crimson School. She is student 718 but she wants more than anything to be called Kia. Kia wants to win the Piedmont Challenge so that she can attend PIPS, Piedmont Inventor's Prep School. If she is not allowed to go to PIPS then she will have to continue her school at home and she will be programmed into something she doesn't want to do. She has so many ideas for inventions but if she is programmed she will not be allowed to do any of these things. All 50 states send a team of five students to the Challenge and when Kia is chosen she is floating on cloud nine. Then something happens that has never happened before, the four other students chosen from New York are all from Kia's school also. Even though they don't know each other, they are being held to a higher standard than the other teams. Kia and her teammates work very hard on their project only to have something disastrous happen just a week before the competition. Will Kia and her team be able to overcome this tragic event and still compete for their chance to go to PIPS? Or is their chance gone forever?

This is a must read book if you want to read about friendship, teamsmanship, inventions, quick-thinking, overcoming obstacles, and finding yourself then this is the book for you! Make sure you have some time when you start this book because it is hard to put down! After reading this book, you will have to read Flip the Silver Switch, book two in the The Crimson Five series.

Astronaut Annie by Suzanne Slade

3/24/2018

Interest Level: K-3; Reading Level: 2.2

@kidlitexchange #partner Thanks to the @kidlitexchange network for the review copy of this book - all opinions are my own.

Have you thought about what you want to be when you grow up? Well, Annie sure does and she out of this world dreams! Annie is so excited when her school announces that they are having a career day. She rushes home to tell her family. Everyone has an idea of what she can be based off of their experiences. She tells all of them that they will have to wait until Friday at career day to find out. Annie uses something special from each of her family members to create her costume. On the day of career day her family is so excited to see what she wants to become, using something from each of them to accomplish it.

This is such a precious book of family, encouragement, love, and ambition. This is a great read for kids to show them how great it is to have dreams and aspirations. When I read this aloud to my students I will cover up the title so that they will have to make predictions on what Annie wants to be. This is a must read!

Paper Chains by Elaine Vickers

1/15/2018

Interest Level: 3-6; Reading Level: 4.7

@kidlitexchange #partner Thanks to the @kidlitexchange network for the review copy of this book - all opinions are my own.

What if you had not one, but two big secrets from your best friend? Should you tell her and not keep it from her, or keep it to yourself knowing that one day it may be a problem? This is the difficult situation that Katie faces. She wants to tell her best friend, Ana, that she is adopted and that she has a heart issue, but it just never seems to be the right time. Ana has problems of her own. Her dad, a hockey player, has left her, her mom, and her younger brother. Ana's mom has not taken the break up very well and Ana's family is falling apart. To make things worse, her grandmother from Russia comes for the Thanksgiving holidays and makes things even worse. While Katie is trying to find out about her real parents without her adopted family finding out, Ana is trying to put her family back together before it completely falls apart. When Katie and Ana get into a fight and quit speaking to each other things go from bad to worse with these two friends. As Ana's younger brother, Mikey, is rushed to the hospital with a life-threatening injury, will Katie and Ana be able to overcome their issues and work together to mend both of their families?

I loved this story about two best friends and the issues they go through. Throw in a feisty, Russian grandmother and you have a story that you can't put down.

P.S. I Miss You by Jen Petro-Roy

1/6/2018

Interest Level 3-6; Reading Level: 4.0

5 out of 5 Stars!!!!!!

I don't even know where to start with this one! This book is so full of raw emotion that it will have you laughing one minute and crying the next. This is the story of Evie, a 12-year-old girl growing up in a very strict Catholic home. When her sister is sent away to live with their distant aunt because she got pregnant at sixteen, all Evie can do is write her letters. As Evie writes to her sister, Cilla, she tells her everything that is going on in her life. Evie has two best friends but when she meets June, things begin to shift and Evie has to try to sort though these new feelings. This is a story of lies, deception, finding yourself and having the courage to be yourself, friendship, love and so much more! Will Evie have the courage to expose her family secrets, find her sister, and become the person she thinks she is becoming. Read this book to find out what happens to Evie, June, Cilla, and the rest of her family.
I am giving you fair warning that when you get to about the last 100 pages of this book you will not be able to put it down. Jen Petro-Roy's debut book is a winner and I cannot wait to read future books!

Thanks to the @kidlitexchange network for the review copy of this book - all opinions are my own.

All Three Stooges by Erica S. Perl

12/31/2017

Interest Level: 5-8; Reading Level: 7.6

Have you ever known someone who loved comedy so much that they acted out and quoted television shows and movies all the time? Yeah, me neither, but Noah and Dash were two peas in a pod, they did everything together, including acting out skits from their favorite slap-stick comedy movies. What makes it even more fun is that Dash's dad, Gil, was always right there with them. However, comedy doesn't always last, especially when tragedy strikes. Can Noah and Dash's friendship withstand this tragedy or will Dash replace Noah with a new best friend?
This book shows the many ups and downs of these two twelve-year-olds and how they deal with the death of a loved one. This book also deals with many relevant social issues of the day in a loving and caring way. This is a must read book!