Author/Illustrator: Ian Ogilvy
Plot Summary: Twelve year old Measle Stubbs lives in a dreary house with his mean, eccentric guardian, Basil Tramplebone. After trying to outsmart Basil, in order to have some time with his fabulous model train set, Basil puts Measle under one of his awful spells. Measle soon learns the secret of the train set, meets some wonderful new friends, and comes out the hero.
Comments: This book reminded me of a Twilight Zone episode involving a toy train. It is reminiscent of the "Series of Unfortunate Events" series but much more interesting. I also listened to the audio recording which was great.
Extensions:
1. Read aloud in a fourth or fifth grade classroom. It is suspenseful and interesting with some important messages - cooperation, believing in yourself, feeling competent, looks can be deceiving, and the importance of good nutrition
2. This would be a good selection for a student in fourth through sixth grade to present a book talk in person, audio or podcast format. The purpose would be to get other students interested in the book.
3. As the release of the movie gets closer, this series is going to be very popular. Upper elementary and middle school media specialists would want to encourage students to read the book BEFORE seeing the movie. After the movie is released, comparing the story lines would be interesting. This would be a good lesson in why it is better to read the book first. I am disappointed when I suggest a good book to a student and they tell me they don't want to read it because they have already seen the movie - UGH!
Themes/keywords: orphans, railroads, wizards
Age/Reading Level: Interest level 3 - 8; ATOS - 5.6; Follett - 6.4; Lexile - 900
Standards:
ELA4R2(through eighth grade) The student consistently reads at least twenty-five books or book equivalents (approximately 1,000,000 words) each year. The materials should include traditional and contemporary literature (both fiction and non-fiction) as well as magazines, newspapers, textbooks, and electronic material. Such reading should represent a diverse collection of material from at least three different literary forms and from at least five different writers.
Publisher's Info: HarperCollins, New York. 2004
ISBN-13: 978-0-06-058686-7
ISBN-10: 0-06-058686-9
Publishers Weekly 11/08/04 | Booklist 10/01/04 |
| Horn Book 04/01/05 | Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books 11/01/04 |
| Voice of Youth Advocates (V.O.Y.A.) 04/01/05 | Kliatt 07/01/04 |
Genre/Dewey: Fiction
Websites:
Author's website
Movie scheduled for release in 2011 - Movie website
Author's Measle Blog - has creepy music
Measle and the Wrathmonk movie trailor - very short
Additional books in the series:
2. Measle and the Dragodon
3. Measle and the Mallockee
4. Measle and the Slitherghoul
5. Measle and the Doompit
Vocabulary:
Comments