Category: Friendship

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!!!***

Firegirl by Tony Abbott

1/20/2019

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Interest Level: 3-6; Reading Level: 4.1

Have you ever done the right thing even if it cost you a friend? Tom is a seventh grade kid in a Catholic school. His best friend, Jeff, is not the nicest kid around but it's his only friend. Tom has a huge crush on a girl in his class but he doesn't have the nerve to even talk to her. One day their teacher announces that a new student will join their class and she gives them a warning about her appearance. Jessica has been badly burned and the students have a very hard time accepting her. The students in the class do a very good job of ignoring her yet at the same time rumors fly about how she was burned. One day during their daily prayer Jeff refused to hold Jessica's hand because he is so repulsed by her. Jeff doesn't think anything about it but Tom feels sorry for Jessica. Since Tom lives a few houses away from Jessica, Mrs. Tracy asks him to take her homework to her after an extended absence. Tom learns a lot about Jessica that day and actually wants to consider her a friend. This does not go over well with Jeff and their friendship disintegrates. Will Tom really choose Jessica over Jeff? Will this cause problems with the other kids in the class? To save face, should Tom go back to ignoring Jessica like all the other? Read this incredible story about compassion, friendship, and the decision to do what is right no matter what it costs.

This book was published in 2006 and I missed it so many years ago. It was not until Tony Abbot send me his new book, The Great Jeff, that I read Firegirl. Since The Great Jeff is the story of Tom's friend, Jeff, I wanted to read Firegirl so that I would know what was going on. I am so glad that I didn't go one day longer without reading this book. In a time when kids who are different seemed to be picked on and bullied, this is a refreshing story of a kid who realizes that it is wrong, especially when Tom is a shy kid himself. Run out today to get this book so you will be ready for The Great Jeff!!

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It Wasn't Me by Dana Alison Levy

3/24/2018

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Interest Level: 5-8

Imagine you are the vicim of bullying not once, not twice, but three times. If that were the case, would you want to go and sit in a room with the people suspected of the bullying you, and to top it off, it is during your spring break? This is exactly what is happening to Theo. Theo is a photographer and when his pictures are on display in the high school gallery, they are vandalized with some not so nice words written on them. Next, his negatives were in the dark room and someone went in and ruined those. Lastly, he had some homemade cameras set up in a classroom and those are destroyed. You would think that Theo would definitely not want to go and sit in a room with the five suspects, the Nerd, the Princess, the Jock, the Weirdo, and the Screw-up, but his favorite teacher asked him to try an experiment to see if they could find out who did this to Theo. Theo has gone to school with these kids most of his life and has labeled and judged each of these kids, yet as the week goes on he soon learns that everything he thought he knew is completely wrong. As Theo actually starts to become friends with each of these kids, does he really want to find out the truth of who the culprit is.

It Wasn't Me is a must read book!! This book will grab you from the start and will not let you put it down until you find out "who-did-it". This book has parts that will make you laugh out loud, will warm your heart, and will shock you. There are times in this book that you want to just go and put your arms around the characters and there are times you just want to go and hang out with them. Do not let this book pass you by. Read It Wasn't Me as soon as it comes out!!

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Caleb and Kit by Beth Vrabel

2/18/2018

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Interest Level: 3-6; Reading Level: 5.9

How would you feel if you were a sick twelve-year-old kid who had the perfect brother and a hovering mom? What if you and your best friend had sort of drifted apart and you didn't really have a friend? What if you by happenstance meet a new friend in the woods who is fun, energetic, mysterious, and full of imagination? Would you risk everything just to keep that friend? This is exactly what Caleb does when he meets Kit. Up to this point in Caleb's life everything is very structured and organized in Caleb's life. Caleb has cystic fibrosis and he has to take his medicines and treatments at the same time everyday, he has to eat a certain amount of food everyday, and he is limited in his activity because he can become tired very easily. It is so bad that even at school he has certain privileges that other kids don't get, and this does not make him very popular. So when Caleb meets Kit, his whole world is changed. She doesn't know about his sickness so she doesn't treat him differently like the other kids do. She is new in town and she just wants a friend too. They both decide to keep their friendship a secret and this is the beginning of their deception. Caleb is supposed to be at summer camp but he ditches most days and sneaks off into the woods for fun and adventure with Kit. But what happens when all of the lying and deceit catches up to him and he gets sick while he is in the woods. What will happen to Kit when the true reality of her home life becomes public? Will Caleb and Kit's friendship survive when all of the lies come crashing down? This is a must read tale of friendship and determination to find ones own self.

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Piggy Let's Be Friends! by Trevor Lai

1/9/2018

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Interest Level: K-3

Have you ever felt alone and wanted a friend? That is exactly how Piggy felt, until he met his best friend, Kate. They made friends with everyone in the forest, except for Miles. Miles was a mole and he lived underground. He was afraid of what was in the world above. Every time he tried to go above to see what was going on, he would get so nervous and start sneezing. Then one day, Miles and Piggy met but Miles was too afraid to stay and meet him so he went back underground. When Piggy and his friends had a tea party Miles could not stand it anymore. He had to go where the friends and the wonderful smells were. However, when he gets up to the top things go wrong and Miles retreats back underground. Will Piggy be able to help Miles get over his fears, or will Miles be doomed to be alone forever? This is a must read for anyone who wants a friend or wants to be a good friend.
I LOVE this book! The story will connect with so many of our students who are shy, scared, or just afraid to put themselves out there. The pictures are some of the cutest I have ever seen. Piggy makes me want to go and get some big red glasses!

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

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All Three Stooges by Erica S. Perl

12/31/2017

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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!

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Snow Lane by Josie Angelini

12/28/2017

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Interest Level: 3-6; Reading Level: 5.6

Wow! All I can say is Wow!

Imagine that you are one of nine children. Would you ever feel special? Loved? Noticed? Now imagine that you are the ninth child, the youngest. You never get anything new, everything you have is hand-me-downs. This is exactly Annie. She is the youngest of nine children. She never feels special. She never has any new clothes, and most of the clothes that fit her come from her brother. She also battles with dyslexia. She does have friends but she never lets friends come over because of her mom's hoarding problem. If that's not enough, the whole family has a secret that they want to stay a secret. What happens when one of Annie's sisters runs away and is missing. Will the family's secret come out or will it stay buried?
This is one of those books that when you get to the end you just sit and think about everything you just read, it stays with you for a while. Read Annie's story!!

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

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Blazer Tales

Firegirl by Tony Abbott

It Wasn't Me by Dana Alison Levy

Caleb and Kit by Beth Vrabel

Piggy Let's Be Friends! by Trevor Lai

All Three Stooges by Erica S. Perl

Snow Lane by Josie Angelini

Laurie Evans

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