Nathan Zimelman

Summary:
How the Second Grade Got 8,205.50 to Visit the Statue of Liberty, is exactly that! This book is about how a class of second graders tried to raise enough money to see the statue of liberty. The class has fundraisers like a lemonade stand, a car wash, and ever try dog-sitting, but nothing they do would get them enough money. But, one day at the car wash their principals car causes two robbers to run back into the bank they were robbing and the class gets a reward for that! Turns out it would be a long time until they got the money, so everyones parents pitched in and the class got to go to see the Statue of Liberty.

Personal Reaction:
I thought this was a very good book. Some kids actually do this stuff in real life to raise money and children would be able to relate to this story very well, especially if they have done any of these fundraisers.

Classroom Extension Ideas:
1. Help the children plan their own fundraiser, like a lemonade stand or a car wash.
2. Have the children draw out places they would like to go or to see if they fundraised the money.… (mere)

This book is a series of short stories about a character named Hubie Hemplewhite. I believe that this is a great book for young readers who are transitioning into longer chapter books because it is set up as a series of shorter stories about one character. This way, students can read one story at a time, but they also become invested in a particular character and are encouraged and excited to read and explore his other stories. The book was a good length and the text was large enough that it was not overwhelming for new young adult readers, but there was sufficient and challenging text on each page to help students advance their reading practices. I would definitely use this book in a classroom to help students transition into longer, more complex reading.… (mere)