Wednesday, June 5, 2013

Who Is J.K. Rowling? By Pam Pollack and Meg Belviso

This month I read a nonfiction book for young readers. The Who Was…? series, published by Grosset & Dunlap, has a few Who Is…? books featuring people who are still alive. I read Who Is J.K. Rowling? by Pam Pollack and Meg Belviso.



The story tells about Ms. Rowlings’ childhood, personal life, writing life, and Harry Potter, of course. The book is nonfiction, but it’s a modern day Cinderella story. Ms. Rowling struggled to make ends meet and then a decade later she was richer than the Queen of England. Ms. Rowling is not only a gifted writer, she is also a benevolent woman. She gives to charity and lends her support to many organizations that help single mothers and underprivileged people. J. K. Rowling is a fascinating woman living a fascinating life.

I recommend this book to 3rd graders and Harry Potter fans of all ages.

List of Recommended Books by Grade:
Picture books
Alphabet Puke—Monsters’ Medicine A-Z by Quinn Cole

2nd grade –
Charlie and the Chocolate Factory by Roald Dahl
Miss Holly Is Too Jolly, by Dan Gutman
Sarah, Plain and Tall by Patricia MacLachlan
Time Warp Trio #1: Knights of the Kitchen Table by Jon Scieszka
Time Warp Trio #2: The Not-So-Jolly Roger by Jon Scieszka

3rd grade –
Who Is J.K. Rowling? By Pam Pollack and Meg Belviso
The Whipping Boy by Sid Fleischman
Among the Hidden by Margaret Peterson Haddix
Among the Impostors by Margaret Peterson Haddix
Mr. Popper's Penguins by Richard and Florence Atwater

4th grade –
Call It Courage by Armstrong Sperry
Louisiana's Song by Kerry Madden
The Maze of Bones by Rick Riordan
The Golly Whopper Games by Jody Feldman

5th grade –
Dead End in Norvelt by Jack Gantos
Benjamin Pratt & The Keeper of the School by Andrew Clements
Pictures of Hollis Woods by Patricia Reilly Giff
When You Reach Me by Rebecca Stead
Moon Over Manifest by Clare Vanderpool
A Single Shard by Linda Sue Park

6th grade –
The Harry Potter series by J.K. Rowling
The Midwife's Apprentice by Karen Cushman
Dewey, by Vicki Myron with Bret Witter
The Wanderer by Sharon Creech
The View from Saturday by E.L. Konigsburg
The Bronze Bow by Elizabeth George Speare

7th grade and up –
Holes by Louis Sachar
The Summer of the Swans by Betsy Byers
Ship Breaker by Paolo Bacigalupi
Pendragon Book One: The Merchant of Death by D.J. MacHale
The Secret Life of Bees by Sue Monk Kidd
The Seventeen Second Miracle, by Jason F. Wright