Genuine comes from a family of wish fetchers. She can whistle to the stars and receive a stream of star light. She can then use the light to grant wishes. The only thing she can't do is make wished for herself. Once Genuine learns about this gift she starts making wish biscuits and helping her town. Her new friend Jula also has the great idea of using the wished to solve a world problem like hunger. Unfortunately things get a bit out of hand and Genuine learns that not every problem can be solved with wishes - sometimes it just takes love, determination, and friendship.
I enjoyed the book. genuine has a unique voice and she really learns and grows throughout the book. While "magic" plays a role - she learns that not everything can be solved with magic. I was a bit confused about the ending - her wish was left hanging... Overall a good read.
Seriously - who wouldn't want to love this? But I think this is a case of not knowing the intended audience and a failure to focus the topic. There was a lot of great research but it was all over the place with random facts that really didn't fit cohesively. I love chocolate but I found myself skimming certain parts and glazing over. I am sure there will be some who will appreciate it but I can't picture my students sticking with it.
My students are clamoring for Dystopian books and often request Hunger Games, Divergent, etc so I keep reading some hoping I can find one appropriate for the kids at my school. The premise of this was good but it is definitely YA - way too much swearing and some innuendo as well. Oh well...
Hale has grown up as part of the SRS (Sub Rosa Society). His parents are top agents and he and his sister are in training to become agents themselves. They all live, train, and learn at headquarters. Their nemesis - The League - the bad guys. Hale is training and trying to overcome his big boned body to pass the physical exam when his parents disappear during a mission. Then everything Hale thought he knew about SRS and the League get turned upside down. Now Hale has to figure out what SRS is really up to and get his parents back.
There was some good spy plans and activities, some good twists. and good interaction between the kids. I think the cover makes the book look younger than it is. A fun romp. Looks to be the first in a series - of course but ended well.
This book highlighted the work of 16 women who took a stand about various issues that pertain(ed) to women. Some were well known like Malala and Ida Wells and some not as well known. Some were from a 100 years ago or more and some were more recent. I enjoyed the book and learning about the lives of these women and what issues they tackled. I loved reading about the woman from Guatemala who stood up for the indigenous people there since I have been to Guatemala several times. Some of the issues - birth control, sexual freedom - were more for an older audience than my 1st - 5th graders so I will likely not purchase it for my library. I do feel it would be a good resource at the junior high and high school. Even though each story is rather short it may spur further research.
This was a solid, introductory look at the Great Depression. It looked at the causes, how different people were affected, and how people lived. There were a lot of good photographs, 21 activities, and great resources at the end. The fact that it was only 144 pages was also good.
Unfortunately the curriculum in my school does not include American History (a great wrong in my opinion) so to purchase this book or not???
As an adult I enjoyed this retelling of Beauty and the Beast but there was a lot of swearing, violence, and, well let's just say Disney would blush.... YA for sure...
