Fun Early Chapter Book

I like Jerry Spinelli, and when I saw that he had a series for the younger reader, I was intrigued.  Both my daughter and I really enjoyed this book.  I like an author who explores the idea of being good when nobody is watching, and how that too counts towards your character.

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Title:       Third Grade Angels

Author:   Jerry Spinelli

Target:    Grades 2-3

Series:     Yes

What this book is about:
There is a poem that starts the first chapter of the book: First grade babies!/Second grade cats!/Third grade angels!/Fourth grade rats!  George is excited to be in third grade and to finally be an angel and his teacher, Mrs. Simms, only adds to the excitement.  She holds a contest each month to see which student will earn his/her halo.  George likes to be first ... he wants the first halo and is willing to go to great lengths to get it.  But to earn the halo kids need to be kind, responsible, helpful, in other words be on their best behavior.  As George learns, this means not only inside the classroom but also to your parents, and (gasp) sister!  Does he have what it takes to earn the first coveted gold circle?

Why I love this book:
First off this is a fun read, and I really likes the teacher Mrs. Simms.  I love that she expects all the kids, even the difficult ones, to earn a halo throughout the year, showing that it not just the kids who are predisposed to behave well that will earn the coveted prize.

I also really liked George.  I found it completely realistic that he wanted to not only win, but to be the first to win.  I think many kids will relate to this.  

Who this book is for:
Chapters are relatively short, type is large and pictures - while not on every page - are dispersed throughout the book, which makes it a great book for kids who are getting comfortable with chapter books.

Final thoughts:
This is a book that really addresses kids issues around being good.  Is it enough to just not be mean, and how nice to you have to be when people aren’t looking?  A clever take on things parents and kids wrestle with.

To purchase this book:
Click on the following link to connect to Amazon: Third Grade Angels  A portion of each purchase goes to support this blog at no cost to you.