NELLY GNU AND DADDY TOO

Anna Dewdney has done it again with Nelly Gnu and Daddy Too. This is a charming book that parents can enjoy reading with their children, especially on Father’s Day.  The story is written with rhymes and has beautiful colorful illustrations. Children are introduced to creativity and can learn about measurements, picking colors, painting, decorating and much more.

Nelly is excited to spend some quality time with her father. Nelly loves her father very much and both of them decide to make a playhouse for her from a large box. Both draw out the measurements and paint some bright flowers on the front of the house.

For Ages 4-6 

MIND YOUR MANNERS!

 

Mother feels that one must have good table manners at all times. You never know when you might get a dinner invitation from the Queen. When young Maya receives a surprise invitation to the Queen's palace she gets to display her idea of acceptable table manners, and the Queen's guests are in  for quite a surprise.

MAYA MAKES A MESS by RUTU MODAN is an amusing graphic novel.  For 3rd grade and up.

SAMMY KEYES GETS A FATHER OR TWO

Sammy Keyes and the Showdown in Sin City by Wendelin Van Draanen is number 16 in the spunky girl detective mystery series.  Sammy has finally snapped and is going to confront her mother about the identity of her father and to stop her from marrying her boyfriend's father.  Good grief!  All this is so complicated and it's about to get even more complicated, as Sammy lies, manipulates, begs and weaves her way from Santa Martina to Las Vegas by enlisting the help of friends, enemies and a bunch of Elvises to solve the biggest mystery of her life -  Who is Sammy's father?  

A page turning Sammy Keyes  for mystery and Sammy lovers in 6th -8th.  

BUDDING BOY BUD

This is a story about Bud, NOT Buddy. His mother insisted that he tell everyone to call him Bud. It's been four years since Bud's mom died, and he's bounced from orphanage to foster home and back again. His latest foster family is awful! He narrowly escapes her clutches and runs away to search for his father. Bud has his suitcase full of mementoes, which also serve as clues to where Bud's father may live. An adventurous journey ensues, taking Bud through many aspects of society during the late 1930s. Bud finds the man he is looking for, but he is really surprised to learn who that man really is! BUD, NOT BUDDY by Christopher Paul Curtis takes place many years ago, but everything that happens to Bud could happen to you too. Grades 4 and up.

JULY 2012

CATCH ME IF YOU CAN ... SURVIVE ALL THIS

Chomp by Carl Hiaasen takes you on a trip through the Everglades of Florida where alligators, snakes and all sorts of wildlife are not just a great attraction but a matter of life and death.  Wahoo and his dad have been hired to provide animals (tame ones) as props for a reality show, Expedition Survival, but what they really have to do is make sure the show's star, Derek Badger, makes it through each scene without any mishap, mostly brought on by his own stupidity.  

Wahoo's classmate, Tuna, thinks Derek Badger is the most amazing adventurer, eating all kinds of stuff in order to survive as shown on his TV shows, but she comes to realize that's he's nothing but a fake.  If this wasn't all, she, Wahoo and his dad are trying to keep her away from her abusive, crazy and drunken father who is determined to bring her back home.  

This is one wild ride of a book with lots of adventure, and humor to boot.  For readers in grades 6th and older.   

THE SILENCE OF NO BIRDS SINGING

SYLVIE AND THE SONGMAN by Tim Binding sounds musical and uplifting. But really it is about a world without music. That is, the music we take for granted - the birds whistling in the trees, the crickets chirping, the woof of the dog who's happy to see you are home. Sylvie is on a quest to find her father, who's been taken by the Songman. The Songman has taken many animals' songs, and there is no telling what other music he is out to destroy! Once the adventure begins in this story, it continues at a frenzied pace until the very last few pages. It introduces you to the animal kingdom as you've never known it before, taking you into their inner most thoughts. There's beautiful places and touching scenes, and there will be times when you just want to put the book down and not continue. But it is important to remember that even when things are uncomfortable, there might be something we need to learn. Grades 6 and up.

ALVIN AT IT AGAIN

Poor Alvin, his dad thinks that camping will be a great bonding experience just like Henry David Thoreau and his father! Uh... that wasn't quite what Alvin had in mind when Alvin told him about his time travel experience. What's a boy to do if he's afraid of nature, the dark, getting lost, hit by lightning... gulp... or worse. Once again he goes to his older brother for advice, and between him and his uncle's survival tips, maybe camping won't be so bad after all.

Alvin's Packing List:

generator

night vision goggles

super duper flashlight

water purifying tablets

Alvin Ho: Allergic to Camping, Hiking, and Other Natural Disasters by Lenore Look has Alvin confronting more phobias but done in such a gentle and funny way that you can't help but chuckle along with Alvin. Along with the expressive character illustrations this book is a must for readers in 3rd - 5th.

CAUGHT BETWEEN GIRL AND GROWN-UP

Alice has turned thirteen and is in-between. In between childhood and woman-hood, that is. She and her two best friends still act silly sometimes, but more talk of boys, boobs, and bothersome brothers shows that they're not little girls any more. Alice lives with her father and brother, as her mother died of leukemia when she was five years old. Now Alice is the "woman of the house," her friends are changing all around her, and she seems stuck between being a kid and growing up. ALICE-IN-BETWEEN by Phyllis Reynolds Naylor is the fifth in the "Alice" series. There are over twenty books in the series, but you can start anywhere and still understand what's going on in Alice's world. For fourth grade and up.

21st CENTURY LITTLE WOMEN

When you're in middle school, friendships come and go like the passing of day to night. What's even worse is parents all of a sudden decide to become VERY embarrassing! Put the two together and you get THE MOTHER-DAUGHTER BOOK CLUB by Heather Vogel Frederick. Emma and Jess are best friends. They used to be friends with Megan until she joined up with the "popular" girls. And Cassidy has just moved into town with the force of a tornado. When the moms decide to start a monthly book club, the girls aren't thrilled at the prospect of being forced to spend time with one another. But as they read through Little Women together, they begin to notice themselves in the characters of the book they are reading, and they begin to see each other in new ways as well. A surprisingly enjoyable book that strays from the typical pre-teen girl theme in many ways. Great for 5th graders and older.

WHOOOO's IN THE SHOWER?

Borden's father is a logger, and he hates the owls. It's the owls that have kept Borden's dad out of work. Borden decides he hates them too, until one day he stumbles upon a baby owl. He is convinced it isn't a spotted owl, the endangered species whose life is threatened by the logging community, because how could anything so cute and helpless threaten people's jobs? It isn't long before both Borden and his father Leon, learn a lot from the baby owl Bardy. THERE'S AN OWL IN THE SHOWER by Jean Craighead George, shows how logging affects the world we live in, and how things can change for the better. For 4th grade and up.

A GREAT SUMMER READ FOR ALL

1 Box + 4 keys = the meaning of life.

Jeremy's life consists of his mom, Lizzzy, his best friend and neighbor, and grandma. He eats the same thing everyday. No kidding. He stays in his neighborhood where he knows where everything is. You see, Jeremy doesn't like changes. And he thought the summer of his 13th birthday would be no different. Things are fine the way they are, except that he misses his father.

His father died at the age of 39, just like the fortune teller predicted. Out of nowhere he gets this unexpected box from the past. What could his father have put in this box so many years ago? Jeremy is deteremined to find the missing keys and unlock the secrets and wisdom his father has left for him.

Jeremy Fink and the Meaning of Life by Wendy Mass is perfect for middle school boys looking for a meaningful summer read.