Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone

Author: J.K. Rowling

Genre: Fantasy

Grade level: 3-6

There is a boy named Harry who's parents were killed by a bad wizard named Voldemort. He tried to kill Harry but was unsuccessful. Harry lives with a family called the Dursley's and they spoil their own children while Harry has to sleep in the attic. Harry exhibits special powers at the zoo when the glass breaks and he is punished for the incident. Letters come for Harry but Mr. Dursley hides them. Eventually Hagrid comes to give him his acceptance letter to Hogwarts. A month later he boards the train to London to go to school. He meets Hermoine and Ron on the train and they become great friends. There is a troll roaming around the school and together they defeat the troll. For Christmas he receives his fathers invisibility cloak and he explores the school. They find out a three headed dog is guarding the sorcerer stone which is capable of providing eternal life and wealth. Harry finds out that Voldemort is trying the steal the stone. Harry decides that he should find the stone before Voldemort does. They make it past lots of different quarrels and eventually make it to be face to face with a guy named Quirrell and he puts him in front of the mirror that shows you what you always desire and he desires to have the stone and he feels it in his pocket. He tells Quirrell something else and a voice tells him that Harry is lying. He reveals a face on the back of his head and that face is Voldemort who tells Quirrell to kill Harry he is burned when he comes in contact with Harry. Harry faints and wakes up in the hospital with Dumbledore the headmaster by his side who tells him that he saved him just in time and they decided to destroy the stone. 

This book is a very good book to introduce to your students. There is a lot of very good vocabulary that can be used in weekly vocab and spelling tests. It is a very imaginative book that can be used for all sorts of activities and prompts for journal writings. 

The cover art is very cartoonish and there are a couple hints to what the book would be about with the unicorn in the background and the broomstick. On hardcover books the lettering of the Harry Potter is gold and in different material than the rest of the book. 

Holes 

Author: Louis Satcher 

Genre: Realistic Fiction

Grade level: 3-5

Award: John Newberry Medal

Stanley Yelnats has a curse on him and his family put on his great great grandfather. He is sent to Camp Green Lake for a crime that he did not commit. They are forced to dig giant holes everyday. He soon realizes that the warden is looking for something and that is why they dig holes. He meets other boys at camp and we learn about why his family has a curse because his great great grandfather did not take Madame Zeroni up the mountain and sing a song when she helped him fatten up a pig to hopefully win over a girl he loved. The thing that the warden was looking for was a treasure a big treasure that kissing kate barlow collected. The love of her life was killed and so she went seeking for revenge. She would kill people and kiss them after they were dead. She would rob people and eventually she runs into stanleys great grandfather. When the man she loved was killed rain stopped falling and the lake dried up. Stanley makes a friend named Zero and eventually Zero runs away from the camp after saving Stanley. Stanley eventually goes after Zero and the two make their way up the mountain. Zero gets hurt and Stanley has to carry him up the mountain. They reach the top and find onions and water where they eat and drink and stanley sings the song he learned from his ancestors. This breaks the curse and on the way back they find the treasure as well. Zero hires a private investigator and finds his mom. 

This book can be used in the classroom for a variety of reasons. There is lots of vocabulary that can be learned. Each week there could be a weekly spelling test on words from the story. This book also teaching about perseverance and friendship and would be a great prompt maker for journal entries. 

The cover art is pretty abstract. It looks as if it is a moon. The colors are pretty bold and bland.