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Showing posts from August, 2017

Miss Ellicott's School for the Magically Minded

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by Sage Blackwood Lexile:  660 Genre:  Fantasy Miss Ellicott's school is where young girls learn how to become sorceresses.  One day, Miss Ellicott disappears and leaves behind a number of girls whom she has told that each one is "the Chosen One." The girls must work together to figure out what Miss Ellicott left them with if they want to be able to save their city.  But is their city really what they should be fighting for?  The more the girls learn, the more they wonder just whose side they should really be on.  The girls, led by Chantel, the one who can do the most magic, are about to embark on the most important and dangerous adventure of their lives.

Revenge of the Green Banana

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by Jim Murphy Lexile:  890 Genre:  Realistic Fiction, Memoir Jim Murphy is really hoping that 6th grade is going to get off to a good start.  But on the third day of school, he already has wound up in trouble.  Jim attends a strict Catholic School and he thinks that all the nuns are out to get him, but particularly Sister Angelica Rose.  She has a thick red file on her desk with his name on it and she seems determined to make his year miserable.  Jim and his friends decide to plan a prank that will get back at her and teach her a lesson in order to get the revenge they think she deserves.

Harry Potter and the Cursed Child

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by J.K. Rowling, John Tiffany, and Jack Thorne Lexile:  500 Genre:  Fantasy The story of Harry Potter continues...19 years after the last one ended.  In this play, Harry is the one sending his own children, James, Albus, and Lily off to Hogwarts where he hopes they will meet new friends and get a good education in the world of wizarding.  Harry has trouble understanding his middle son, Albus, and Albus has made it clear that he doesn't like having the famous Harry Potter as a dad.  Albus becomes best friends with Draco Malfoy's son, Scorpius, which concerns Harry.  When Albus and Scorpius fail to arrive at Hogwarts, Harry knows something isn't right.  What is Albus up to?

Good Night Owl

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by Greg Pizzoli Did you hear that noise?  Owl did!  He is trying to fall asleep and he can't figure out where the squeaking is coming from.  Step by step he tries to eliminate everything in his house that might be making a squeaking noise. Soon he is left with nothing but his bed...and then he sees the source of the noise!  Finally, Owl can get some sleep!

Yard Sale

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by Eve Bunting Illustrated by Lauren Castillo Callie is having a hard time watching people come to her yard sale.  Her parents had to sell their house and now they will be moving to a small apartment where there isn't room for all of the things they have in their house.  Callie doesn't want to part with her things, leave her friends, and go live in a new place.  But as she watches her belongings disappear, she realizes the most important thing, her family, is still going to be with her no matter where they live.

Hippos Are Huge!

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by Jonathan London Illustrated by Matthew Trueman Have you ever wondered what the deadliest animal in Africa is?  You may be surprised to learn that it is the hippo!  Hippos can run up to 25 miles per hour, have razor sharp tusks and can weigh as much as 50 grown men!  If you want to know more facts about hippos, this is the book for you!

Their Great Gift: Courage, Sacrifice, and Hope in a New Land

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by John Coy Photographs by Wing Young Huie What is your family's arrival story?  This book tells the arrival stories of many through photographs of families doing everyday sorts of activities.  The United States is made up of immigrants from all over the world and this book aims to help celebrate the diversity that exists throughout the country. Many immigrants made sacrifices to bring their families to a new place.  What will people do with this great gift?

Mother Bruce

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by Ryan T. Higgins Bruce loves eggs and he is always looking for the freshest, most delicious eggs.  But one day the eggs he buys from a goose, hatch, before he is able to cook them.  Now he is stuck with four little goslings who think that Bruce is their mother.  He tries everything to get rid of them, but they just won't leave. Whatever is Mother Bruce going to do?

Thunder Boy, Jr.

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by Sherman Alexie Illustrated by Yuyi Morales Thunder Boy, Jr. is named after his dad, which is kind of cool, except that he would like to have his own name.  Many people call his dad Big Thunder, so then people think they can call him Little Thunder.  He doesn't really want to be Little Thunder.  He wants a name that celebrates something special about him.  How will he figure out the best name for himself?

I Will Not Eat You

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by Adam Lehrhaupt and Scott Magoon Theodore is always thinking about his next meal.  He lies in his cave and waits for it to appear.  But one day, something new comes that he has never seen before.  It is a boy and Theodore is excited to try something new.  Surely this boy will be a delicious and tasty treat...or maybe not?  If Theodore doesn't eat him today, there is always tomorrow.

One Plastic Bag: Isatou Ceesay and the Recycling Women of the Gambia

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by Miranda Paul Illustrated by Elizabeth Zunon In Njau, Gambia, when people were done with a plastic bag, they just dropped it in the dirt and there it would sit until one bag became a pile of 10, then 20, then 50, then 100.  Animals started getting sick from eating the bags and people got tired of the mounds of plastic.  Isatou Ceesay decided to do something about it.  She collected the bags, washed them, and cut them into strips and then taught herself to crochet.  She crocheted the plastic bags into new purses that she sold to by new goats for her farm.  Many people laughed at her idea, but Isatou believed in her dream and made it come true!

The Night Gardener

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by Terry Fan and Eric Fan Grimloch Lane is your average boring street, until one night when someone trims a tree to look like an owl.  And then the next night another tree becomes a cat.  And so it continues...each night a new tree becomes something more magical than before. William can't figure out who is behind the magic, but then he spots an unfamiliar figure sneaking down the street.  Has he found the infamous night gardener?

Lost. Found.

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by Marsha Diane Arnold Illustrated by Matthew Cordell One windy day, Bear loses his red scarf.  Beaver finds it and turns it into a cozy cap.  But then the scarf gets lost again, until the next animal finds a use for it.  And so it goes...lost. Found. Lost. Found. But where will the scarf end up?  Will Bear ever get it back?

The War that Saved My Life

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by Kimberely Brubaker Bradley Lexile:  580 Genre:  Historical Fiction Ada has never left the one bedroom apartment that she shares with her mother and brother Jamie. Her mother is humiliated by the fact that Ada was born with a club foot and believes that no one who is a cripple should be allowed in the outside world.  But Ada is determined to make a life for herself, no matter what the cost. When the threat of war comes to London, parents begin to send their children to the countryside where they think they will be safer.  Ada's mom decides to send Jamie away.  Ada can't imagine a life without taking care of her brother, so she teaches herself to walk and sneaks out with him and boards a train that will change her life forever.

Bo at Ballard Creek

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by Kirkpatrick Hill Illustrated by LeUyen Pham Lexile:  840 Genre:  Historical Fiction Bo has had an unusual childhood.  She was headed to an orphanage in Alaska when 2 gold miners decided to keep her and raise her and become an unusual family.  The miners live near an Eskimo village so Bo learns to speak Eskimo as well as English.  She also learns how to cook, dance, and ride along with dog teams.  It is an exciting life in the wilderness for a young girl and as more miners come to Alaska in search of gold and riches, there is just one adventure after another.

The Turtle of Oman

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by Naomi Shihab Nye Lexile:  700 Genre:  Realistic Fiction Aref loves his life with his parents, grandfather, friends, and his cat Mish-Mish.  He has lived in Muscat all of his life, but his now having to say goodbye to it all because his parents want to attend graduate school in the United States.  He is moving to Michigan with them for 3 years and he has one suitcase to pack everything he wants to bring with him.  Aref is not excited about this new adventure and can't possibly imagine how he can fit his life into one suitcase and say goodbye to everything else.  What will his new life in Michigan be like?

Half a Chance

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by Cynthia Lord Lexile:  690 Genre:  Realistic Fiction Lucy's family has just moved to a remote part of New Hampshire.  Now she is living in a cabin on a lake and her dad is leaving their family for 2 months to go take pictures of an endangered bug in Arizona!  Lucy is hoping to make some new friends that might help her adjust to what she thinks is going to be a long and lonely summer.  Right away, Lucy meets Nate, the boy next door.  Nate is there for the summer with his large extended family.  He introduces her to kayaking and the loons. Going out on Loon Patrol in a kayak with her camera, is not something Lucy expected to enjoy.  Lucy begins to use her camera to capture the moments from her summer and as it turns out, it is neither long nor lonely.

Fort

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by Cynthia DeFelice Lexile:  700 Genre:  Realistic Fiction Wyatt and Augie are having a fantastic summer together.  Their days are filled with fun adventures, as long as they don't run into J.R. and Morrie, the meanest kids in town.  Wyatt and Augie decide to build an amazing fort and even convince the adults in their lives that they should be allowed to sleep over night in their fort.  But when J.R. and Morrie attack their space, and threaten another boy in town, Wyatt and Augie decide that they have had enough and that it is time to stand up to the bullies. They come up with a plan that they think will be foolproof.  Will the boys get their happily ever after ending?

Honey

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by Sarah Weeks Lexile:  830 Genre:  Realistic Fiction Melody is enjoying her summer.  She's having fun hanging out with her friend Nick and life with her dad is good.  Melody's mom died when she was born, so for as long as she can remember, it has just been her and her dad.  But one day, she overhears her father say "honey" on the phone. This leads her to believe that her father has a girlfriend...someone in her small town of Royal, IN...but who could it be?  Nick and Melody are on the quest to find "honey"!

The Secrets of Eastcliff-by-the-Sea

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By Eileen Beha Lexile:  720 Genre:  Fantasy Throckmorton S. Monkey is not your average sock monkey.  He lives a special life with his keeper Annaliese in a large estate known as Eastcliff-by-the- Sea.  Annaliese is growing older and has less time for her sock monkey, until the day that a mysterious invitation arrives for Throckmorton and the other sock monkeys that live in her home.  It seems that Annaliese's great grandmama, the created of all of the family's sock monkeys, is inviting all of the sock monkeys and their keepers to a grand party in honor of her 90th birthday.  The race is on for all of the sock monkeys to be located and suddenly Throckmorton is back into a part of Annaliese's life.  He could not be happier!  He has a feeling that big things are going to happen at this grand event....

Dinosaur Boy

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by Cory Putman Oakes Lexile:  730 Genre:  Fantasy The infamous dinosaur gene skips a generation.  So if your grandfather has it and your dad doesn't, than you probably have it.  Sawyer is an average kid until the end of the summer just as he is ready to start 5th grade.  He wakes up one morning and realizes that he is sprouting spikes and a tail! Now he is going to have to face 5th grade as a partly formed stegosaurus.  He thinks he is prepared for the teasing and weird looks that are sure to come his way, but he is not prepared for all that happens as he and his friends uncover the many secrets that are being kept at their school!

The Vanishing Coin

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by Kate Egan with Magician Mike Lane Illustrated by Eric Wright Lexile:  560 Genre:  Realistic Fiction Mike is hoping that fourth grade is going to finally be the year when he can sit still and follow directions in school.  But here it is, the first week of the new school year and he is already sitting in the principal's office!  Mike feels like he can't do anything right and this year looks even worse because there is a new girl, Nora, who has just moved in across the street, and his parents are going to share child care responsibilities with her family.  One day while Nora's mom is at the dentist, they stumble upon The White Rabbit which is an odd shop - part antiques and part magic store.  Mike is excited to work with the magician and learn some new magic tricks.  Could magic be what is missing from Mike's ability to feel like he is good at anything?

Appleblossom the Possum

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by Holly Goldberg Sloan Illustrated by Gary A. Rosen Lexile:  720 Genre:  Fantasy Possums are the most theatrical animals on the planet.  They can play dead at a moment's notice. Appleblossum is the youngest possum in her family and she is having to figure out what role in the family she was born to play.  Her mother is teaching her how to be a good possum and has warned her about the evil monsters - dogs and people.  But when Appleblossom meets one, she doesn't think that Izzy is evil or a monster. Appleblossom is curious and wants to know more about how evil monsters live despite her brother's warnings.  What will happen to Appleblossom?