A big guy took my ball

Willems, M. (2013). A big guy took my ball. New York, NY: Hyperion Books for Children.
  Gerald the elephant is responsible, Piggie is not.  Piggie (a pig) is always in a bind, Gerald is always getting him out.  But can Gerald help when Piggie's really big ball is taken by a really big guy?  Can Gerald save the day when he discovers the really big guy is actually a whale or will the whale prevail?  If Piggie;s ball is really the whale's can the three of them find a way to share in the fun?  Gerald will have to think really hard to be the hero once again.
  Despite being a picture book filled with talking animals, A big guy took my ball  deals with a themes that all little kids can relate to.  Piggie has a great time with his ball until it is taken by someone bigger.  The whale wants to play but others are scared off by his appearance.  It isn't until they learn to share that all the characters are happy and sharing is something that all small children learn about.
  The main characters of the book are easy to like from the first page.  Piggie appears so sweet and fun, talking about how great it was playing with his ball.  Gerald plays the part of hero, vowing to return Piggie's ball.  Young readers will instantly like watching the cartoon elephant and pig come face to face with a giant whale and who wouldn't want to join in in a game a of whale ball?
 A book trailer almost as much fun to watch as the book is to read can be found at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UsHzU7Y-_ag

Baby Mouse: Our Hero

Holm, M. and Holm, J. (2005). Baby Mouse: Our hero. New York, NY: Random House.
  Baby Mouse faces unthinkable odds everyday- math prison, monster lockers that eat her homework, the unthinkable walk to school, and worst of all- the war of dodge ball!  While most of these obstacles are all caused by her imagination, dodge ball is very real.  With the help of her best friend Wilson the weasel she may just save the day against the evil Felicia "The Eliminator" Furrypaws!
  The characters in this beginners graphic novel may be talking cartoon animals but that doesn't make them any less real.  Readers can totally relate to Baby Mouse's daydreaming tendencies in class.  Who hasn't let their mind wander during lectures?  The fact that Baby Mouse struggles in dodge ball makes her easy to relate to for children who may have similar obstacles to overcome.
  Teh characters in Baby Mouse may be a far cry from reality but the setting is exactly what the reader faces on a daily basis.  The story begins with Baby Mouse waking in her bed (late as usual).  We see her on the bus and follow her through the hallways of her school.  Placing the cartoon characters in a setting that actually exists aids in the believability of the story.
  Baby Mouse is an excellent place to start for introducing readers to graphic novels.  It also serves as a humorous easy read for some of the "Baby Mouse" students in the class- the students who may not otherwise attempt to read anything at all.

Lunch Lady and the Bake Sale Bandit

Krosoczka, J.J. (20100. Lunch Lady and the Bake Sale Bandit. New York, NY: Alfred A. Knopf Publishing.
  The day of the school bake sale is here! Everyone has brought something to help raise money for the school field trip.  But when all the baked goods go missing what will happen to the school field trip?  Not to worry, Lunch Lady to the rescue!  With the help of her trusty sidekick Betty, Lunch Lady tracks down the Bake Sale Bandit- otherwise known as Brenda the bus driver and recovers the missing goodies.  Looks like Lunch Lady saves the day again.
  This beginners graphic novel presents with an unlikely hero.  For most children the lunch lady is not someone they notice very often.  Yet with her zippy scooter and hair net wearing sidekick Lunch Lady becomes a character to cheer for.  The children in this novel are also easy to relate to.  They are your everyday students- they aren't the fastest, or the most popular but at the end of the day they help stop Brenda.
  The other enjoyable thing about the Lunch Lady series is the theme of a normal person doing the abnormal.  Lunch Lady has no super powers.  She isn't rich and can't create hundreds of gadgets to aid her quests yet she is out there saving the day.  Lunch Lady is an average person behaving extraordinarily.  This gives readers hope and courage that one day they too can be super.
  Lunch Lady is an excellent introduction into the graphic novel genre.  It also works well when discussing bullying with younger children as Brenda the bus driver is most definitely a bully. 

Rapunzel's Revenge

Hale, D. and Hale, S. (2008). Rapunzel's revenge. New York, NY: Bloomsbury USA Childrens.
  You only think you know Rapunzel but you've never met this "Punzie".  Gone is the free flowing yellow hair.  Forget waiting for Prince Charming- it's time to pull up you boot straps and meet the new  rootin' tootin' Rapunzel.  In a new twist on an old story Rapunzel is a strong willed cowgirl who not only saves herself from the tower but saves the entire kingdom from the evil Mother Gothel.  With her long red hair as lethal whips and ropes and a brand new sidekick Jack, this is not your Brothers Grimm's Rapunzel.
  This graphic novel has a style that is totally new and refreshing.  While Rapunzel may still have her long hair she has a new voice (one with a down south twang) and a new girl power attitude.  Even her sidekick Jack (beanstalk anybody?) has a new twist on an old fable.  Along with the illustrations by Nathan Hale, this graphic novel gives the reader something new to believe in in an old story.
  At first the plot of this story seems the same as the old fable it quickly takes the reader on  a new journey.  At the beginning Rapunzel is being raised by Mother Gothel who shields her from the rest of the world.  When Rapunzel discovers Gothel is not her real mother she is locked away in a tower.  It seems that Rapunzel will wait for a prince to rescue.  It is at this point where the plot becomes new and refreshing.  Here Rapunzel becomes the heroine of her own story and the reader really gets engaged and can't wait to see what happens. 

Skulduggery Pleasant

Landy, D. (2007). Skulduggery Pleasant. New York, NY: Harper Collins Publishers.
  Stephanie's life was normal, maybe even a little boring.  She lives in a small town where nothing out of the ordinary ever happens.  The only thing a bit unusual about Stephanie's life was her uncle.  Now that he is gone Stephanie expects nothing amazing to happen.  Yet at her uncle's funeral she meets a strange detective by the name of Skulduggery Pleasant.  Later when she learns her uncle has left her everything and Stephanie is attacked it is Skulduggery who comes to her rescue.  Now her world has gone from ordinary to extra-ordinary.  Men made of paper are trying to kill her, a sorcerer with a red hand that can kill with a simple point is trying to find a weapon that has the potential to wipe out humanity, and the only being is Skulduggery.  Did I forget to mention that Skulduggery is a sarcastic, bull headed, walking, talking, skeleton?
  While this novel is chopped full of mythical characters, reality is never far behind thanks to the inclusion of Stephanie.  Though she is surrounded by the supernatural she is your average teenage girl.  When she is in trouble she runs, when she is scared she yells for help.  It is only when Skulduggery is in peril that Stephanie finally finds the courage to fight back.
  Skulduggery Pleasant  may seem out of this world but it follows the timeless theme of good vs. evil.  The good guys must face the bad in a battle that holds the balance of the human race in its hands.  A theme that we find in other tales such as The Lord of the Rings, Harry Potter, and the new Lorien Legacies series.  There is a reason this theme is so widely loved- it gives the reader something to root for, something to believe in, and that is something that never goes out of style.
  For more information of the other books in the Skulduggery series and other books by Derek Landy visit http://www.skulduggerypleasant.co.uk/

The Invention of Hugo Cabret

Selznick, B. (2007). The Invention of Hugo Cabret.  New York, NY: Scholastic Press.
  Hugo Cabret learned about machinery from his father, a skilled clock maker.  But when a fire claims his father's life Hugo is forced to live at the train station with his drunk uncle.  All his left with is his father's final project- a broken automaton. Hugo knows if he can fix it the automaton will make his life make sense again.  When he is caught stealing parts form the train station toy store Hugo's life takes a turn that will either end life as Hugo knows it or save it for good.
  Hugo Cabret  is a master piece of law fantasy.  The setting of the book is an actual place.  The train station in Paris is recognized by people the world over.  Even some of the characters is the novel actually existed.  Georges Melies was a real life French illusionist and filmmaker.
  What makes this book so fantastical is the automaton.  The robot is not just a piece of machine that Hugo tinkers with nightly. It is actually a piece of Hugo's father and Melies past come to life.  Through the robot Hugo is introduced to Melies, a  man lost in his own mind, who created his father's favorite films.
  A film version of the novel was released in 2011 under the name of Hugo. While not a huge commercial success the film was widely acclaimed by critics and won five Academy Awards as well as many others.  Clips from the film can be seen at http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0970179/?ref_=fn_al_tt_1
There is also a website completely devoted to the novel at http://www.theinventionofhugocabret.com/index.htm

The Graveyard book

Gaiman, N. (2008).  The graveyard book. New York, NY: Harper Collins Publishers.
  Nobody Owens has lived in the graveyard for as long as he can remember.  Raised by ghosts and watched over by the vampire Silas Nobody is safe and well loved.  He is provided nourishment and an education as well as safety.  For Nobody is safe in the graveyard- its walls will protect him from the man with the knife.  For he waits.  Just outside the graveyard gates waits Jack- the man who murdered Nobody's family.  Years pass but still he waits.  How long can the graveyard protect Nobody? The longer he stays the more ghost like he becomes but to leave would mean facing Jack.
  In this novel the setting becomes a character in its own right.  The graveyard is depicted in superb details.  in the graveyard the reader is taken back to the time of the ghosts.  The language changes into whatever dialect was dominant during the life of the ghosts present.  Time seems to have stopped in the graveyard.  There are no cell phones, computers, or televisions.  Yet the trees and vines, even the earth itself seems to change and morph as Nobody grows and changes.
  The changes and feel of the graveyard combined with the plethora of dialects present in this tale gives The graveyard book  a style all of its own.  Without the changing of dialect readers might become confused as to whom Nobody is currently talking to or even where he is.  When he leave the cemetery everything is normal life that readers are used to today, yet when he returns to the graveyard the reader is taken right along with him. 
  Teh graveyard book  has been optioned to become a film.  While no actors have been selected for the film, nor has a release date been set, the film is said to be directed by Ron Howard and Neil Gaiman is slated to write the screenplay.