Review: Ms. Bixby's Last Day

"If you like sad or scary books you might like this book. If you like a happy book this might be your book. This book is happy and sad. "

This is part of my continuing series, #iLoveMG , where I share middle grade books that my fifth graders recommend. (Please note that my fifth graders read a wide variety of books across a wide variety of genres, levels, and topics. Do not think that these books are "only" for fifth graders.) Or check out #3rdfor3rd for recommendations from when I taught third grade.

Ms. Bixby's Last Day

Recommended by Violet M

Ms. Bixby's Last Day by John David Anderson is a book that everyone should read. It is full of love and compassion. The main Ms. Bixby has a loud taste and personality. When she announces a big change to the class, three boys are on a mission to save her. They try to save her but end up doing something else. This book is good in so many ways. If you like sad or scary books you might like this book. If you like a happy book this might be your book. This book is happy and sad. This is why you should read this book. ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Click here for all of our #iLoveMG posts. What are your favorite middle grade books?

Greenglass House

For one of our book projects, my 5th graders design their own book covers and write reviews. You can read more of their reviews at #iLoveMG. (Please note that my fifth graders read a wide variety of books across a wide variety of genres, levels, and topics. Do not think that these books are "only" for fifth graders.) Or check out #3rdfor3rd for recommendations from when I taught third grade.

Greenglass House

This student drew an amazing cover but did not want to share their written review. So here's my thoughts instead:

Greenglass House by Kate Milford is the first in a series of five books about a mysterious house (now hotel) in a town full of smugglers with their own mysteries. The beginning is a bit confusing, as a colorful cast of characters appear at the hotel just before Christmas, but you soon settle in as things start going missing, and it seems like everyone has a motive! 

This is a great book for imaginative kids, especially those who like role playing games like Dungeons and Dragons, as the main characters play their own version of such a game throughout the story. If you like mysteries, games, and lots of sneaking, I recommend this book! 

Click here for all of our #iLoveMG posts. What are your favorite middle grade books?

Controlled Burn reviewed by Sophia

Another great #iLoveMG book recommendation from my fifth graders. This one is especially relevant with all the fires in the news and can help students who are trying to process such natural disasters. If you're looking for a great nonfiction complement, check out Fire Escape: How Animals and Plants Survive Wildfires by Jessica Stremer. 

(Please note that my fifth graders read a wide variety of books across a wide variety of genres, levels, and topics. Do not think that these books are "only" for fifth graders.) Or check out #3rdfor3rd for recommendations from when I taught third grade.

Controlled Burn

Recommended by Sophia

My book is Controlled Burn by Erin Soderberg Downing. 12 year old Maia’s house got burned down. She is blaming herself for not taking her sister out of the fire sooner. When Maia finds an unexpected creature, that might bring her luck. 

This is a good book because it is interesting and hard to put down. If you like sad and hard to put down I recommend this book to you. I rate this ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐(five out of five stars).

Click here for all of our #iLoveMG posts. What are your favorite middle grade books?

Gregor the Overlander book review

This is part of my continuing series, #iLoveMG , where I share middle grade books that my fifth graders recommend. (Please note that my fifth graders read a wide variety of books across a wide variety of genres, levels, and topics. Do not think that these books are "only" for fifth graders.) Or check out #3rdfor3rd for recommendations from when I taught third grade.

Gregor the Overlander

When Gregor finds himself falling down an air duct, He soon realizes he will not be coming back for a while. Can he face the rats to stop a war, follow a prophecy and find his dad? But his two year old sister might also not be the best person to take on a dangerous journey……….. I would rate this book ⅘ stars.

Gregor the Overlander is part of a five book series by author Susanne Collins (Hunger Games).   

Click here for all of our #iLoveMG posts. What are your favorite middle grade books?

Some Good Books

As part of our end-of-year wrap up in 5th grade, I asked my students to compile their own #BestBookList. They could choose an overall theme or not. You can see all of their recommendations at #BestBookList. For individual book recommendations, check out our  #iLoveMG posts. If you are looking for younger readers, #3rdfor3rd features recommendations from when I taught third grade.

Some Good Books

Recommended by Margaux

• So B. It by Sarah Weeks
• Maybe He Just Likes You by Barbara Dee
• Everything I Know about You by Barbara Dee
• Masterminds by Gordon Korman
• Blubber by Judy Blume
  
  
  Click here for all of our #BestBooks posts. What is your favorite middle grade book for 5th graders?
  

Read Your World Day!

This Thursday, January 30th, is Read Your World Day! #ReadYourWorld, formerly known as Multicultural Children's Book Day, is a celebration of children's literature and reading. You can read all about it here, on their website.  

Book Reviews

As a reviewer for Read Your World Day, I received two different books to review, and I am delighted to share them here with you. As always, my opinions are my own. 

WE SING FROM THE HEART by Mia Wenjen and illustrated by Victor Bizar Gómez is the story of Simon Tam and his Supreme Court case to trademark the band name The Slants. This is an interesting and engaging look at history-making in action: walking kids through the process of trademarks and how cases end up before the Supreme Court. 

There is a lot of great background information woven in, introducing readers to the history of anti-Asian sentiment and racist terminology, as well as how The Slants subverted and reappropriated those terms. An empowering and inspirational read!

I Have Cerebral Palsy by Mary Beth Springer is a photo essay about a child name Sydney who has cerebral palsy. The book's inclusion of photographs from Sydney's earliest days through her childhood helps young readers relate and connect to Sydney. Kids can see Sydney doing lots of activities that are also familiar to them (going to school, taking the bus, even playing baseball), making this a good, relatable way to introduce kids to celebral palsy. 

What are your favorite multicultural or diverse books? 

You can see more of my 5th graders' favorite books here: Click here for all of our #iLoveMG posts. 

Mock Sibert Winners 2025

The ALA Youth Media Awards are coming on Monday! (Livestream here on 1/27/25 at 8 am MT.) This is the Super Bowl of the kidlit world, when many of the major book awards are announced including the Newbery and Caldecott Awards. Every year, I try to have my students participate in at least one mock awards vote.

The past few years we've enjoyed Melissa Stewart's Sibert Smackdown. The Sibert Medal is for informational fiction (nonfiction), and each year Melissa shares her slate of top books for schools to host their own Mock Sibert voting. In coordination with our school librarian, my 5th graders have spent the past month reading, analyzing, and discussing their favorites among this year's choices.

We read aloud different books with each class, and it was interesting to see how much the voting was swayed by books we read aloud vs. books the students read and discussed in pairs. 

And the Winners Are ... 

In my first class, the winner was One Day This Tree Will Fall by Leslie Barnard Booth and illustrated by Stephanie Fizer Coleman! Our honor books were...

• Life After Whale by Lynn Brunelle and Jason Chin 

• What's Inside a Bird's Nest by Rachel Ignotofsky 

• Growing Up Under a Red Flag: A Memoir of Surviving the Chinese Cultural Revolution by Ying Chang Compestine and Xinmei Liu (This was was not from the Sibert Smackdown list but was a student favorite.)
   

In my second class, the winner was Narwhal: Unicorn of the Arctic by Candace Fleming and illustrated by Deena So'Oteh.

The honors books were...

• Almost Underwear: How a Piece of Cloth Traveled from Kitty Hawk to the Moon and Mars by Jonathan Roth

• The Painter and the President: Gilbert Stuart's Brush with George Washington by Sarah Albee and illustrated by Stacy Innerst

• Urban Coyotes by Mary Kay Carson and illustrated by Tom Uhlman

Bonus content: photo of the "Almost Underwear" taken over winter break at the Wright Brothers National Monument in Kitty Hawk, North Carolina. 

Who are your top choices for the awards this year! Share a guess in the comments below!

Want more of my 5th graders' favorite books? Click here for all of our #iLoveMG posts.