home

=Welcome to the BRAGG SUMMER READING forum=

We are excited that you have chosen to work with us on this new summer reading project. As an overview of the program, you may choose to read one, two or all three of the books for this summer. We have worked hard to offer books that are exciting and easy to talk about.

In order to begin, please choose one of the tabs to the left <- There is a tab for each of the books, plus a tab so you can see who the teachers are, as well as what the teachers' favorite books are. If you look at the top of this page, you will see a DISCUSSION tab. Teachers will blog and answer questions in these DISCUSSION tabs for each book. Also, this is where you would start new conversations about the book(s) that you are reading. You can post any questions you would like, whether you want to discuss characters, setting, plot, certain chapters, interesting items, pictures within the books, or other books that your peers may like that are similar to the book that was read.

All of our summer reading books can be found at the following places: - Barnes and Noble Booksellers in Ledgewood - Barnes and Noble Booksellers in Morris Plains - Barnes and Noble Booksellers in Livingston - Borders in Rockaway - The Chester Public Library

We will also have a limited amount of titles at Bragg that families can sign out; however, as mentioned these are limited.

The three books for the summer reading are as follows:

[[image:the_houdini_box.jpg width="303" height="303"]]
(GRADES 2 - 5) Ten-year-old Victor has no success emulating his hero, Harry Houdini; no matter how hard or often he tries, he just can't escape from a locked trunk, or hold his breath underwater for 5000 seconds, or run through walls. Then he meets the magician himself in a crowded train station, and some time later receives a mysterious locked box engraved with the initials "E. W." Victor can't imagine who E. W. is and, disappointed, puts the box away. Years later, after Victor grows up and has a son of his own, he learns that Houdini's real name was Ehrich Weiss; he rushes home, opens the box, and that night, while his wife and child lie asleep, he locks himself in the trunk--and escapes in less than 20 seconds. Crosshatched pencil drawings expertly capture the story's droller moments, as well as Victor's changing expressions; details of dress and furnishings, plus dramatic posters on the endpapers, give this a period look and, appropriately, a slightly sentimental flavor. A capsule biography of Houdini is appended. This brief story has an appeal beyond its reading level. --John Peters, New York Public Library Copyright 1991 Reed Business Information, Inc//.//

The Magician's Elephant
(GRADES 4 - 6) On a perfectly ordinary day, Peter Augustus Duchene goes to the market square of the city of Baltese. Instead of buying the fish and bread that his guardian, Vilna Lutz, has asked him to procure, he uses the coin to pay a fortune-teller to get information about his sister, whom he believes to be dead. He is told that she is alive, and that an elephant will lead him to her. That very night at a performance in the town's opera house, a magician conjures up an elephant (by mistake) that crashes through the roof and cripples the society dame she happens to land on. The lives of the boy, his guardian, and the local policeman, along with the magician and his unfortunate victim, as well as a beggar, his dog, a sculptor, and a nun all intertwine in a series of events triggered by the appearance of the elephant. Miraculous events resolve not only the mystery of the whereabouts of Peter's sister, but also the deeper needs of all of the individuals involved. DiCamillo's carefully crafted prose creates an evocative aura of timelessness for a story that is, in fact, timeless. Tanaka's acrylic artwork is meticulous in detail and aptly matches the tone of the narrative. This is a book that demands to be read aloud.—//Tim Wadham, St. Louis County Library, MO// Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

The Mostly True Adventures of Homer P. Figg
(GRADES 5 - 8) When his older brother gets conscripted into the Union Army, Homer runs away from his uncle, "the meanest man in the entire state of Maine." He sets out after Harold but has multiple misadventures along the way. He survives thanks to courage, luck, and his talent for telling lies when needed, since "old Truth ain't nearly as useful as a fib sometimes." Homer relates his own adventures in colorful language as he crosses paths with con men, rogues, and scoundrels of various types. The comic tone is reflected in character names, such as Stink and Smelt, the cold-blooded slave catchers, and the kind but shifty Professor Fleabottom. Things take a more somber tone when Homer sees the horrors of the battlefield up close. The final reunion of the brothers during the Battle of Gettysburg is bittersweet. Homer's escapades introduce some interesting features of the year 1863, including the Underground Railroad, a traveling medicine show, Civil War spies, and an early version of the hydrogen balloon. Homer runs into plenty of danger, but there's more comedy than suspense in most episodes. He also deals with some moral dilemmas as he tries to make sense of the wide world and find people and ideas to believe in. The engaging protagonist and mixture of humor and adventure make this a strong choice for fans of Sid Fleischman's tales.—//Steven Engelfried, Multnomah County Library, OR// Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.