Rachel has been completely silent since her classmate, Tommy Feathers, died six months before. Bastian's father is being transferred to a new Air Force base, and today is Bastian's last day of school before they move. When no substitute teacher arrives to take the absent Mr. Fabiano's place, Rachel, Bastian, and all the other students take a vote to run their sixth grade class by themselves for the day. Can they prove that they can fly on their own? Will they be discovered before the end of the day?

Reviewed by: emc

Date read: 3/26/2010

ISBN-10: 0395873231

ISBN-13: 9780395873236

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The transition from 3rd to 4th grade isn't as easy for Suds as it is for his best friend, Joey. According to Joey, to be a 4th grade rat, you can't be afraid of spiders, carry a babyish lunch box, or cry. But rats do push little kids, say 'no' to their mothers, and eat real meat (like baloney.) Being a rat doesn't sound so great to Suds.

Reviewed by: sc

Date read: 3/27/2009

ISBN-10: 0590442449

ISBN-13: 9780590442442

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It's summer and Franny Parker's animal hospital has been keeping her busy. With more patients by the day, Franny's summer 'job' becomes more and more rewarding. Humor breaks up the busyness as Franny's sister Sidda accidentally puts crickets into her blueberry pancakes. The new neighbor boy and his mother quickly become friends with Franny's family. What secrets have the new neighbors brought with them? What are they trying to cover up?

Reviewed by: jb

Date read: 8/24/2009

ISBN-10: 0374324697

ISBN-13: 9780374324698

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Joe and John Henry were the best of friends. Together they shelled butter beans, shot marbles, and swam in Fiddler's Creek. They loved playing and eating ice pops together. But there was one important difference between Joe and John Henry. Being white, Joe was permitted to go into any store, eat at any restaurant, and swim in the town's swimming pool. However, John Henry was black. Growing up in the south during the 1960's meant that he wasn't allowed to go and do most of the things his best friend could. The town's swimming pool was strictly off limits to him. Joe and John Henry had high hopes when they heard that due to the Civil Rights Act of 1964; they would finally be able to swim together at the town's pool. Their hopes were soon dashed when they saw the senseless filling of the pool with tar. This was done to prevent EVERYONE from using it. They soon realized that it takes more than changing the law to make things fair; it takes a changing of hearts. In Deborah Wile's, 'Freedom Summer', we see racism through the eyes of two young boys and witness their determination 'to make things right'.

Similar authors: Gwendolyn Battle-Lavert; Pat McKissack; Jacqueline Woodson

Similar books: Papa's Mark by Gwendolyn Battle-Lavert; Goin' Someplace Special by Pat McKissack; The Other Side by Jacqueline Woodson; Coolies by Yin; Pop's Bridge by Eve Bunting

Reviewed by: mb

Date read: 8/1/2011

ISBN-10: 0689830165

ISBN-13: 9780689830167

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It's scary enough to leave your old school and your old friends to begin sixth grade. But Rosemary will be one of just a few African American students at Robertson Elementary School, and when her best friend gets polio, she will be the only African American student in sixth grade. Her parent's troubled marriage is scary too, and now she has no one to talk to. Rosemary finds two new friends in very unexpected places, and she also learns to believe in herself. A very personal look into a troubled time in our history.

Awards nominated: Rebecca Caudill Award 2011

Reviewed by: donna

Date read: 4/27/2010

ISBN-10: 043966098X

ISBN-13: 9780439660983

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