The Last Fifth Grade of Emerson Elementary

Look inside
Paperback
$8.99 US
5.13"W x 7.69"H x 0.63"D  
On sale Apr 10, 2018 | 272 Pages | 9780553521405
Grades 3-7
Reading Level: Lexile NP | Fountas & Pinnell T

See Additional Formats

An award-winning, big-hearted time capsule of one class’s poems during a transformative school year. A great pick for fans of Margarita Engle and Eileen Spinelli.
 
Eighteen kids,
one year of poems,
one school set to close.
Two yellow bulldozers
crouched outside,
ready to eat the building
in one greedy gulp.
 
But look out, bulldozers.
Ms. Hill’s fifth-grade class
has plans for you.
They’re going to speak up
and work together
to save their school.
 
Families change and new friendships form as these terrific kids grow up and move on in this whimsical novel-in-verse about finding your voice and making sure others hear it.

Honors and Praise:

Winner of a Cybils Award in Poetry

Winner of an Arnold Adoff Poetry Honor Award for New Voices

An NCTE Notable Verse Novel

A Bank Street College of Education Best Children’s Book of the Year

An ILA-CBC Children’s Choice

Nominated for the Pennsylvania Young Reader’s Choice Award, the Wisconsin State Reading Association Children’s Book Award, the Rhode Island Children’s Book Award, and the Great Stone Face Award (New Hampshire), Lectio Book Award Master List 

“This gently evocative study of change in all its glory and terror would make a terrific read-aloud or introduction to a poetry unit. A most impressive debut.” —School Library Journal

“Sure to inspire the poet in all of us, young and old.” —Mark Goldblatt, author of Twerp

Laura Shovan's debut middle-grade novel, The Last Fifth Grade of Emerson Elementary, was a NCTE 2017 Notable Verse Novel and a Bank Street College of Education Best Children's Book of the Year, and won a Cybils Award for poetry, as well a Nerdy Book Club award. Her son's experiences as a member of a travel wrestling team were the inspiration for Takedown. Laura and her family live in Maryland, where she is a longtime poet-in-the-schools for the Maryland State Arts Council. Visit her online at laurashovan.com, or follow her on on Facebook (facebook.com/laura.shovan.poet/) and on Twitter at @LauraShovan. View titles by Laura Shovan
  • NOMINEE | 2018
    Massachusetts Book Award
  • NOMINEE | 2017
    New Hampshire Great Stone Face Children's Book Award
  • NOMINEE | 2017
    Pennsylvania Young Reader's Choice Award
  • NOMINEE | 2017
    Rhode Island Children's Book Award
“The poems are easy to read, in authentic-sounding language that captures the poets' personalities; avatar-like illustrations accompany each piece to remind readers of who's who. A helpful guide to poetic forms appears at the end of the book.” —The Horn Book

“Entertaining . . . Shovan skillfully employs different poetic forms and styles...Characters... will inspire readers as they find the courage to save their school and make their voices heard, both as a united front and as capable, valuable individuals.” —Publishers Weekly
 
“Eighteen kids. Eighteen Stories. An original idea, artfully and heartfully rendered.  What a treat.” —Eileen Spinelli, author of Another Day as Emily and other books

“A delightful book, with an endearing cast of characters who can help teach the craft of poetry while sharing their own diverse personal stories.” —Margarita Engle, Newbery Honor-winning author of The Surrender Tree

About

An award-winning, big-hearted time capsule of one class’s poems during a transformative school year. A great pick for fans of Margarita Engle and Eileen Spinelli.
 
Eighteen kids,
one year of poems,
one school set to close.
Two yellow bulldozers
crouched outside,
ready to eat the building
in one greedy gulp.
 
But look out, bulldozers.
Ms. Hill’s fifth-grade class
has plans for you.
They’re going to speak up
and work together
to save their school.
 
Families change and new friendships form as these terrific kids grow up and move on in this whimsical novel-in-verse about finding your voice and making sure others hear it.

Honors and Praise:

Winner of a Cybils Award in Poetry

Winner of an Arnold Adoff Poetry Honor Award for New Voices

An NCTE Notable Verse Novel

A Bank Street College of Education Best Children’s Book of the Year

An ILA-CBC Children’s Choice

Nominated for the Pennsylvania Young Reader’s Choice Award, the Wisconsin State Reading Association Children’s Book Award, the Rhode Island Children’s Book Award, and the Great Stone Face Award (New Hampshire), Lectio Book Award Master List 

“This gently evocative study of change in all its glory and terror would make a terrific read-aloud or introduction to a poetry unit. A most impressive debut.” —School Library Journal

“Sure to inspire the poet in all of us, young and old.” —Mark Goldblatt, author of Twerp

Author

Laura Shovan's debut middle-grade novel, The Last Fifth Grade of Emerson Elementary, was a NCTE 2017 Notable Verse Novel and a Bank Street College of Education Best Children's Book of the Year, and won a Cybils Award for poetry, as well a Nerdy Book Club award. Her son's experiences as a member of a travel wrestling team were the inspiration for Takedown. Laura and her family live in Maryland, where she is a longtime poet-in-the-schools for the Maryland State Arts Council. Visit her online at laurashovan.com, or follow her on on Facebook (facebook.com/laura.shovan.poet/) and on Twitter at @LauraShovan. View titles by Laura Shovan

Awards

  • NOMINEE | 2018
    Massachusetts Book Award
  • NOMINEE | 2017
    New Hampshire Great Stone Face Children's Book Award
  • NOMINEE | 2017
    Pennsylvania Young Reader's Choice Award
  • NOMINEE | 2017
    Rhode Island Children's Book Award

Praise

“The poems are easy to read, in authentic-sounding language that captures the poets' personalities; avatar-like illustrations accompany each piece to remind readers of who's who. A helpful guide to poetic forms appears at the end of the book.” —The Horn Book

“Entertaining . . . Shovan skillfully employs different poetic forms and styles...Characters... will inspire readers as they find the courage to save their school and make their voices heard, both as a united front and as capable, valuable individuals.” —Publishers Weekly
 
“Eighteen kids. Eighteen Stories. An original idea, artfully and heartfully rendered.  What a treat.” —Eileen Spinelli, author of Another Day as Emily and other books

“A delightful book, with an endearing cast of characters who can help teach the craft of poetry while sharing their own diverse personal stories.” —Margarita Engle, Newbery Honor-winning author of The Surrender Tree

Reading with Purpose Summit Event

On Monday, June 10th, Penguin Random House Education and DK Learning co-hosted a Reading with Purpose Summit Event in collaboration with Molly Ness, PhD. The event took place at Penguin Random House’s NYC headquarters and included sessions featuring leading education experts and a lunchtime author panel. The in-person professional learning event was built to show

Read more

2024 Elementary School Collection

The Penguin Random House Education Elementary School Collection features outstanding fiction, nonfiction, and picture books from Penguin Young Reader’s, Random House Children’s, DK, and Grupo Editorial, as well as children’s publishers distributed by Penguin Random House. Explore online or download this valuable resource to discover great books in specific topic areas such as: Leveled Readers,

Read more

DK Learning Phonic Books Sampler Request

Thank you for your interest in DK Learning | Phonic Books. To download the DK Learning | Phonic Books sampler with four complete readers, please click here and complete the form. Once your information is successfully submitted, a link to download the sampler will be provided on the confirmation screen.   Click here to learn

Read more

PRH Education Translanguaging Collections

Translanguaging is a communicative practice of bilinguals and multilinguals, that is, it is a practice whereby bilinguals and multilinguals use their entire linguistic repertoire to communicate and make meaning (García, 2009; García, Ibarra Johnson, & Seltzer, 2017)   It is through that lens that we have partnered with teacher educators and bilingual education experts, Drs.

Read more