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Betsy's Story, 1934 by Adele Whitby
Whitby, Adele. BETSY'S STORY, 1934 New York : Simon Spotlight, 2015 IL 3-6, RL 5.4 BN 1481427520 Lady Betsy lives in England in her family's home. Chatswood Manor is a beautiful home and Betsy has grown up in luxury. She has her own lady's maid and plenty of servants. Her 12th birthday is coming up and it has been the tradition in the family that a ball is held to celebrate the occasion. Betsy is looking forward to it. Not only will it be a grand affair, she will finally become the owner of the Elizabeth necklace. It has been in the family for several generations and handed down to the eldest daughter on her 12th birthday. But when she hears of her cousin Kay's problems in America, she decides to cancel her ball in solidarity with Kay. If Kay can't have her ball and receive her necklace because of money problems, than Betsy won't either. But odd things are happening at Chatswood Manor. There are rumors that they may be in financial difficulty as well. Can that possible be true?
Thursday, April 30, 2015
Book of the day 04/30/2015
Sunday, April 26, 2015
Book of the day 04/26/2015
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The Red Pencil by Andrea Davis Pinkney
Pinkney, Andrea Davis. THE RED PENCIL Boston : Little, Brown, 2014 IL 3-6 ISBN 0316247804 Amira and her family are living in a peaceful Sudanese village and she is hoping to be able to go to school. But when the Janjaweed attack the village, the family must run for their lives. Amira's father is killed in the raid and the family has no choice but to keep walking to live. They finally arrive at a refugee camp but don't know what to expect. Life in the refugee is camp is brutal and very different from their life in the village. Among the harsh reality of her day to day life, Amira is given a gift that can help her survive the horror around her -- a red pencil.
Saturday, April 25, 2015
Book of the day 04/25/2015
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The Classroom : Trick Out My School by Robin Mellon
Mellom, Robin. THE CLASSROOM : TRICK OUT MY SCHOOL New York : Hyperion, 2014 IL 3-6, RL 6.5 ISBN 1423150651 Libby Gardner just knows this is going to make her the most popular student at Westside Middle School. She and the principal have kept it a secret and now it is time to make the big announcement. Libby has entered their school into a contest to win a school makeover -- and they won! None other than Kip Lee is coming to trick out the school for his reality tv show -- Trick Out My School. It is so exciting when the tv crews and the cameras arrive. But the hammering and all the construction is not making everyone happy. What Libby doesn't know is that things are not going to be as wonderful as she thought.
Friday, April 24, 2015
Book of the day 04/24/2015
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The Classroom : Student Council Smack down by Robin Mellon
Mellom, Robin. THE CLASSROOM : STUDENT COUNCIL SMACKDOWN! New York : Hyperion, 2013 IL 3-6, RL 4.9 ISBN 1423150643 Things may get ugly this year at Westside Middle School. Libby Gardner and Cindy Applegate have been best friends and nothing can come between them, right? Well, the position of class president may mean the end of the friendship. They have flip-flopped the office for the past few years -- Cindy in fourth and sixth grades and Libby in fifth. But they are both determined to win the seventh grade election no matter what it takes. When Trevor is forced into the race, he wants to find a way to help Libby win. When Libby hires Molly Decker as her campaign manager, things change. Now Trevor is determined to win. And things are getting ugly. All the while, a film crew is on hand to document it all.
Thursday, April 23, 2015
Book of the day 04/23/2015
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Martin, Ann M. RAIN REIGN New York : Feiwel and Friends, 2014 IL 3-6, RL 3.5 ISBN 0312643004 Rose is a young girl living with Asperger's syndrome. She tries to remember the rules and live by them but others seem to be breaking the rules all the time. Rose gets upset when she sees drivers breaking rules. She's even gotten kicked off the school bus for her obsession with rules of the road. Another obsession she has is with homonyms -- words that sound the same but are not spelled the same. Her classmates and even her teachers get a bit tired of her obsessions but try to work with her. When her father brings home a stray dog, Rose is very excited. She names the dog Rain since she was found in the rain and the two become very close. When Rain follows Rose to school, the other kids fall in love also and now Rose has something to share with the other kids. But when a major hurricane hits their small town things are changed forever.
Wednesday, April 22, 2015
Book of the day 04/22/2015
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The Human Body by Ken Jennings
Jennings, Ken. THE HUMAN BODY : JUNIOR GENIUS GUIDES New York : Little Simon, 2015 IL 3-6, RL 7.0 ISBN 1481401742 Did you know that the part of your back that you can't scratch is called acnestis? Or an adult's skin weighs six pounds or more? Or that humans are the only primates whose eyes have sclera -- the whites of your eye? This book is full of lots of useful information about the human body. But it is also chock full of unusual facts. Written by Ken Jennings, you know it has a lot trivia in it. Jennings is the all time highest money winner on the game show Jeopardy. Pick up this book and open to any page. You are sure to learn some interesting new information that will amaze you.