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©2000-2004 Barbara L.M. Handley

Contact Barbara Handley at author@deafhomeschool.com

ORL Featured Books 2002

ORSIG Reading List ORL Featured Books: 2002 | 2003
Authors: A-B | C-D | E-F | G-H | I-J | K-L | M-N | O-P | Q-R | S-T | U-V | W-X | Y-Z
Interest Level: Lower Grades | Middle Grades | Upper Grades/Adult
Reading Level (by grade): 1st | 2nd | 3rd | 4th | 5th | 6th | 7th | 8th | High School

KEY
F=Fiction
NF=Non Fiction
PB= Picture Book
P=Poetry
D=Drama

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Interest Level
LG=Lower Grades
MG=Middle Grades
UG=Upper Grades
A=Adult Books



October 22, 2002
The Reptile Room by Lemony Snicket

Reading Level: 6.3
Interest Level: Middle Grades

The Baudelaire orphans (Violet, Klaus and Sunny) have a new home with their Uncle Montgomery Montgomery. Everything appears to be delightful. At first.

Uncle Monty is a renowned herpetologist with a large home (with a private room for each of the children), an exotic reptile room, and loads of books.

Uncle Monty's new assistant, Stephano, arrives. To their horror, the children discover that Stephano is the nasty...


October 22, 2002
The Bad Beginning by Lemony Snicket

Reading Level: 6.4
Interest Level: Middle Grades

The Baudelaires, Violet (the eldest, she invents things), Klaus (the middle child, he reads and researches everything) and Sunny (the baby, she has sharp teeth and likes to bite) start off well enough at the beginning of the book, but things rapidly go from worse to worser to worst.

The terms of their parents' will dictate that the children be placed with a relative. They are sent to live with Count Olaf, a nefarious dastard whose only...


February 25, 2002

Howl's Moving Castle by Diana Wynne Jones

Reading Level: 5.4
Interest Level: Upper Grades

Sophie is the eldest of threee sisters and, as the eldest, she knows she is set for a life of no adventure and no magic. She resigns herself to working in her father's hat shop.

One morning, the Witch of the Waste comes in...

February 18, 2002

The View From Saturday by E. L. Konigsburg

Reading Level: 5.9
Interest Level: Middle Grades
1997 Newbery Medal Winner

This is a book of surprises....it appears to be a novel, but it is actually a set of short stories. Or maybe it seems to be a set of stories, but it is really a novel.

It seems to be a story about four kids on an Academic Bowl team, but then it isn't really about that either. This book is about rescuing sea turtles, Alice in Wonderland...

February 11, 2002

Boynton Books
Barnyard Dance
But Not The Hippopotamus
The Going To Bed Book
Moo, Baa, La La La

Reading Level: Unknown
Interest Level: Picture Book: Infant, toddler, pre-school.

Barnyard Dance
Every time I read this book to the kids, I wanted to break into the theme from "The Beverly Hillbillies"...

But Not The Hippopotamus
Probably my favorite of the 4 titles listed here for the simple reason that it sings just as well as it reads. Simple, easy rhythm patterns and rhyme schemes make it an easy book for anyone to follow, and language that parents and children can enjoy. (I especially like the word "cavort"...

The Going To Bed Book
A great way to introduce the different things to do to get ready for bed, with the usual silly pictures...

Moo, Baa, La La La
A short, easy way to understand the sounds that most well-known animals make. Written in very simple English, it flows quickly through the pages. Like all of the Sandra Boynton books I have read, the pictures are at least as much fun as the words. I found it much fun to insert phrases from other Boynton books...


February 4, 2002

A Single Shard by Linda Sue Park

Reading Level: 6.6
Interest Level: Middle Grades
2002 Newbery Medal Winner
A Single Shard was written by an author whose parents were Korean immigrants.
The book is set in twelfth century Korea.
It is a story about a 12 year old boy named Tree-ear, who was named after a kind of mushroom that has no parent seed. This is a good name considering...

January 28, 2002

The Breadwinner by Deborah Ellis
Reading Level: 4.5
Interest Level: Middle Grades
The Breadwinner takes place in Kabul, the capital of Afghanistan. The book takes place during the Taliban’s rule. The main character is a girl. Her name is Parvana. When her father is arrested, she has to cut her hair, get into boy’s clothes, and work...

January 20, 2002

The Toothpaste Millionaire by Jean Merrill
Reading Level: 5.0
Interest Level: Middle Grades
This is an interesting and delightful book. Rufus heads out to buy toothpaste and is shocked by the price. Sure that he can make it for less money, he starts fiddling with recipes. Then he goes into business with the help ......






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