Sunday, January 31, 2016

Roller Girl

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Loved it!!!  Yes, there is the typical middle grade plot of best friends growing up and growing apart but....  roller derby, come on that more than makes up for it.  Loved Astrid's determination and her ability to move on, admit mistakes, and even attenpt tomake ammends. Fun!!!

The Tortoise and the Soldier

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I love these short historical stories that give apicture of what life was like during a certain time period without being overwhelming and also a cute human interest story.  In this book, the soldier Henry meets a tortoise in a crater while being shot at.  He later goies back for the tortoise and secretly keeps himon board his ship for the rest of the war.  Cute story, good length, nice illustrations.

Saturday, January 30, 2016

The Lunch Witch

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Gosh, don't know if it's just me but I have not been liking the books I've read lately.  Yes I think it is amusing that this "witch" gets fired from a Salem museum and ends up working as a lunch lady.  But...the rest didn't work for me...

The Doldrums

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Archer is the grandson of 2 famous explorers, but when the go missing on an iceberg Archer's mom keeps him at home constantly because of his "tendencies".  But Archer never gives up hope of finding his grandparents.  With the help of two new friends, Adelaide and Oliver, Archer begins planning to travel to Antarctica to find them.

This book was okay. I felt like it was long and dragged in the middle.  Obviously setting up for a sequel. 

Steve Jobs: Insanely Great

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This was a very clever biography of Steve Jobs.  I liked the format and learned a lot.  But....the talk about his drug use was just dropped in there and for my younger students I didn't like that.  I also found the font difficult to read.  My students have at time complained about the font in books like Popularity Papers so that might be an issue for some.

Thursday, January 28, 2016

The Queen's Shadow

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The queen's shadow is missing...an investigation ensues.  One by one the animals explain why they couldn't have commited the crime based on their vision.  Very creative way of learning about how animals see.

Curious Critters: Marine

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Fabulous photographs and clever text combine to make this a fascinating read.  Light enough that my younger readers can enjoy but with enough depth to possibly intrigue and encourage further exploration.