OCTOBER 27, 2010
School! Adventures at the Harvey N. Trouble Elementary School by Kate McMullan
Full of puns and quirky characters, like Ron Faster, Chuckie Upkins, and Izzy Normal, this story makes for a very entertaining read that young students will enjoy. This story follows one week in the life of Ron Faster, as he goes from a Hotsy-Totsy Monday, to a Yowie-Ka-Zowie Friday. Ron and his friends are often late to school, thanks to their bus driver, Ivan Stuckinaditch. However, Ms. Cecilia Seeyalater says "you are never in trouble at the Harvey N. Trouble school." Ron often discusses his school days with his out of work parents Cookie and Hugo Faster. It's a crazy week, and read the story to find out what happens next. The whimsical illustrations are sure to make one chuckle. A good story for reluctant readers, and for those who like plays on words. Recommended for grades 2-4.
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OCTOBER 27, 2010
The Private Thoughts of Amelia E. Rye by Bonnie Shimko
Imagine having to wear twenty-year-old clothes found in your attic to school. Picture yourself in your mom's old glasses, and what if she cut your hair with a do-it-yourself kit? Such is life for Amelia Rye as she is being raised by her mean mom and kindly grandfather in the 1960's in upstate New York. But with all of that, what Amelia longs for is one good friend. Much to her delight, the first African-American girl that she has ever seen moves to town and befriends her. Fancy Nelson is the person Amelia wants to be - sure of herself, attractive, loved by her mother. Influenced by Fancy, in interaction with her relatives, various town citizens, and even her father's old girl-friend, the reader witnesses and applauds Amelia's growing maturity. This novel will appeal especially to middle-school girls who will see themselves in Amelia's struggles to become independent.
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OCTOBER 13, 2010
The Dancing Pancake by Eileen Spinelli
BEING A PANCAKE
At first I'm shy.
I stand close to the door.
I feel like a total goofball.
Why did I ever agree to do this?
The backdrop of the story is the opening of a cafe called "The Dancing Pancake", operated by sixth-grader Bindi's mother and aunt. Following the departure of her father, who leaves town to look for a job, it becomes necessary for Bindi and her mother to move to an apartment over the cafe. The heart of the story, though, are the customers Bindi meets and the people hired to work at the cafe. Lots of secondary characters and subplots are woven effortlessly into the story including her best friend Albert, the bug-crazy and down-to-earth neighbor who provides stability and advice when needed, Ruby Frances, the young waitress who Bindy regrettably accuses of stealing money from the register when it comes up short, Jackson, a preschool cousin, and Grace, an elderly homeless customer. Bindi, who has been self-absorbed during much of the story does reach some closure by the end which will satisfy readers. Written in verse and reading like Bindi's personal journal, the story uses a multicultural cast of all ages to cover tougher issues like homelessness and separation of parents. Black-and-white line drawings interspersed throughout the book add humor and will entice younger readers. The short poetry makes it easy-to-read and would be an excellent choice for reluctant readers. Recommended for grades 3-6. I found this one hard to put down.
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OCTOBER 5, 2010
Mini Mysteries 20 Tricky Tales to Untangle by Rick Walton
A creative book published by American Girl as a collection of short stories that require your attention and ingenuity to discover the mystery presented in each of 20 tales. Each chapter is a scenario with several of nine girls featured in a situation that will require the reader to figure out the answer to the mystery question at the end. The answers are filed in a collection of small file folders at the end of the book itself. The mysteries are clever and often stumped me as an adult. The answers at the end in the files capture your abilities to try to figure out the secret in the next story. This book is an interactive game with you as the main player. Mini Mysteries will appeal to girls in grades 3-5 due to it being an American Girl series and girl characters. However, boys would love the mystery game aspect of the book as well.
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OCTOBER 3, 2010
Bad to the Bone by Lucy Nolan
The third installment in the "Down Girl and Sit" series,
Bad to the Bone is a dog lover's book. This book is humorous and presented in a narrative first person (in this case first dog), Down Girl's point of view. Down Girl and her friend dog, Sit, find it difficult to train their owners. After not getting positive attention from their owners and problems with the neighborhood cat, Here Kitty Kitty, they decide to be "bad to the bone." Thus, leading Down Girl and Sit to dog training school which adds to the dog humor you will find in this book. The story is most suitable for readers in grades 1-3.
Bad to the Bone would make a nice family read aloud for those with a family dog and could easily entertain preschool children as well.
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