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Book Review: Remarkable
First of all, Happy 4th of July to all my fellow Americans. I hope you got a chance to see some fireworks and have a cookout! I must say, coming back to work on a Thursday is a little weird, but it’s great that tomorrow is Friday already! Over the past…
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Book Review: Water Balloon
This coming of age novel by Audrey Vernick is a great summer read for middle school girls! When Marley’s parents decide to get separated, she finds herself spending the summer with her dad in a new house, a summer babysitting job she doesn’t want, and friends who seem too busy for…
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May B.
May B. by Caroline Starr Rose is a sparsely written story in verse that conjures pictures of the rolling prairies and the vast emptiness that they used to be. May B. is a 12-year old girl sent to a neighboring homestead 15 miles away “just until Christmas” as her Pa…
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The Lions of Little Rock
The Lions of Little Rock by Kristin Levine is a story about two young girls growing up in the late 1950s during the time of the Little Rock Nine. Marlee, a white girl, meets Liz on the first day of school and they become friends almost right away. Liz is the…
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Wonder
Wonder written by R. J. Palacio is a beautifully written novel for middle school readers about being different – something almost everyone can relate to on some level. The main character is a 5th grade boy named August Pullman who was born with severe facial deformities that prevented him from going to school…
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Half Brother
Ben Tomlin was an only child for thirteen years, until the day his mother brought home Zan – an eight-day old chimpanzee. Ben’s parents plan on raising Zan as a human and to teach him American Sign Language (ASL) in order to see if Zan can acquire advanced language skills.…
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The Mother-Daughter Book Club
I’ve been wanting to read The Mother-Daughter Book Club by Heather Vogel Frederick for a while now, but with so much else to read, it got put on the back burner, until I noticed a new book in the series just recently came out in time for the holidays, so I…
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The Penderwicks at Point Mouette
Jeanne Birdsall has done it again, this time with the story, The Penderwicks at Point Mouette. Birdsall captures the joy and heartache that comes with growing up. Rosalind, the oldest Penderwick goes on vacation with a friend while the rest of the sisters go to Maine to visit Aunt Claire with their good…
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Breadcrumbs
Breadcrumbs written by Anne Ursu and illustrated by Erin Mcguire is a modern-day fairy tale based on Hans Christian Anderson’s The Snow Queen. This retelling is about two best friends Hazel and Jack who do everything together even when it’s deemed uncool by the other kids at school. They have wonderful imaginations,…
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Eight Keys
Eight Keys written by Suzanne LaFleur is the coming-of-age story of a sixth grade girl named Elise whose entire world is changing and she can’t manage to keep up. She starts her 6th grade year at a new middle school where her locker partner bullies her, her best friend Franklin seems to…