The Best Teacher in Second Grade

July 1, 2006
K-Gr 2 -Mr. Hopper -s class is planning for Family Night, and Luna suggests a Midnight Circus, a celebration perfectly attuned to her own passion for planets and stars. Instead, her classmates embrace the idea of a traditional circus, dividing into groups of lions, tigers, and bears, while Luna grows even more single-minded in her celestial fascination. As a new student, she has experienced some anxiety; now her adjustment is further compromised as classmates are confused by her obsession. When the second graders are forced to make a sudden program change, Mr. Hopper rallies the children around Luna -s creative idea to bring the Midnight Circus to Room 75. On Family Night Luna is beaming, her sense of validation and acceptance reflected back to her wise and gentle teacher. By clearly evoking the discomfort and quirky behavior of the new kid in class, this story offers great discussion possibilities. It is a typical leveled reader with short sentences and chapters and an ample number of engaging cartoon drawings. However, the character development and opportunity for inferential thinking make it more substantial than many books of this type." -Gloria Koster, West School, New Canaan, CT"

Copyright 2006 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

June 1, 2006
K-Gr. 2. In a nice take on the outsider story, this lively chapter book in the I Can Read! series uses a classroom setting to open up ideas not only about the new kid who is different and interesting but also about science and language. When Luna suggests that the class do a show about the night sky for Family Night, all the kids look at her as if she were "the new kid from outer space." But the wonderful teacher quietly supports her idea, and the classroom performance with stars in a midnight circus proves a great success. The puns are part of the fun, and Carter's colorful illustrations show the classroom play with the best teacher there in the background. Pair this with Kenah's " The Best Seat in Second Grade" (2005).(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2006, American Library Association.)

January 1, 2007
Luna proposes an astronomy show--a "midnight circus"--for Family Night. Unfortunately, her classmates latch onto the circus idea and ignore the astronomy angle, until they discover that another class is putting on a circus. Mr. Hopper, an astronomy buff like Luna, suggests they try Luna's original idea. The result: an out-of-the-ordinary performance, portrayed with gusto in the cheery illustrations.

(Copyright 2007 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)