This poetic narrative tells of the Donner Party through the eyes of Mary Ann Graves. The poetry was well done and captured the mood and actions of the story. I doubt I will buy it for my library due to the inherent violence and of course the cannibalism. I felt it was a bit too stark for my particular audience.
Very interesting concept. TJ and his best friend Allison decide to spend a weekend LARP - live action role playing. But when the game becomes real - literally real - TJ, Allison, and the rest of their party are in real danger and must figure out not only how they got stuck in the game but how to end it and get back home.
It was an interesting concept for sure. My students are only up to grade 5 so my concerns are the death of one of the "players" early on and the vocabulary that goes with LARP. Not sure my students would get it. I do think this could find an audience with those who have participated in LARP.
Lincoln and his mom have run away from her abusive boyfriend and have started a new life for themselves. But it isn't easy. Lincoln's mom works at an old folks home filled with many "characters". Lincoln, who is pretty quiet, keeps things locked up inside and hasn't made many friends. After a very eventful Thanksgiving holiday though Lincoln decides to finally let his secret life out.
This was a pretty quiet book. It had some humorous parts and some sad parts. I loved the ending. Not sure if kids will stick with it though.
When your dad works for the UN you move a lot. But Ryan thinks that things have finally settled down. They live in the old family home in NYC, he has a best friend, and there is a girl he likes. Everything is normal. Until it isn't. One afternoon Ryan feels like he is being followed and the next thing he knows he witnesses his mother being kidnapped. Now he has to find his father halfway around the world and find a mysterious blogger in order to rescue his mom.
Loved this adventure. Yes, totally implausible but kids love it. It is the first in a series and we are left with a dilemma with his dad... but other than that it ended well.
Allie's family is pretty incredible. Her grandfather won the Medal of Honor, her sister started a nonprofit organization helping students, her brother is a soccer phenom, her younger sister stars in commercials and Allie? ... Nothing. Every time she tries to win a contest she fails. And now, her best friend has deserted her as well. When the Trailblazer Contest comes up Allie knows she can win by doing a photo essay of her famous grandfather and his medal. But along the way things get worse not better - she alienates her best friend even more, screws up a new friendship, and gets frustrated at the person she loves the most. Can Allie get her priorities straight and discover that a trophy on the shelf is not the most important thing?
Lots of heart. Even though this book has some familiar middle grade themes it is a solid book that will find an audience.
I am pretty glad I picked this up at the Scholastic warehouse sale. It features zombies which my students still like, the characters are older and yet there is no language or questionable content, and it was a pretty funny story.
Justin wants to create the greatest zombie movie ever but with a very low budget, creative differences, no time, and complications it may be difficult to do. Can Justin make his mark as a director or will his movie just totally "bite"?
Such a cute book about Teddy and his friends. Teddy is a bear without legs so the elephant he lives with pulls or pushes him in a wagon. There is also a penguin, a snake, and two pigs that live nearby. Soon they are joined by a bunny and a doll. These "toys" have many adventures exploring and learning how to get along.
This was reminiscent of Winnie the Pooh or The Toys Go Out. Great for a read aloud or for 2nd and 3rd grade readers.
