For the first two weeks of second grade, Emily sits in the exact middle of the bus: not by the kindergartners, not by the older kids. Then, suddenly, there is a new, small bus, and Emily can no longer sit in the place she's comfortable. She's so flustered, she forgets her lunch. Her classmate, Vincetta Louise, says their teacher will give Emily a ticket. Will Emily get in trouble? This realistic school story with illustrations throughout the text is a great choice for readers new to chapter books.

Reviewed by: emc

Date read: 9/10/2010

ISBN-10: 080507838X

ISBN-13: 9780805078381

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Nancy takes on her first case. Good-natured Nancy wants to help an elderly pair of women who were supposed to inherit enough money to send their foster daughter to a good school, but learned that the will left all the money to wealthy relatives. When Nancy learns that there are several others who have also been disinherited, she vows to find the 'real will.' Her search brings her up against the snooty relatives and a gang of thieves. Will she ever find the whereabouts of the real will?

Reviewed by: vverscaj

Date read: 7/23/2010

ISBN-10: 0448095017

ISBN-13: 9780448095011

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'She was screaming, she was sliding, she was moving with terrible speed . . .' Christina lives with her father in an old stone mansion on the edge of a forest. The mansion is surrounded by barbed wire and has signs posted that read TRESPASSERS WILL BE BOILED. Christina's father is the head scientist at the Loompski Laboratories which is located deep in the forest. Her mother was supposedly blown to bits at the same laboratory years ago. Zoom is an ore that is mined from the Starkian Mountain. Taft becomes Christina's friend and the two of them have adventures which lead to a fantastic discovery. The author's brisk narrative and well-defined characters keep the story moving with plenty of quirky imagination. With just a touch of fantasy and humor this story keeps the reader fully engaged. I think it would be a great book to read aloud to a group.

Similar books: Emmy and the Home for Troubled Girls by Lynne Jonell; Camille McPhee Fell Under the Bus by Kristen Tracy

Reviewed by: cj

Date read: 1/25/2010

ISBN-10: 0805088563

ISBN-13: 9780805088564

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Where can you find a really good science project? On the internet, of course! Our intrepid heroine has a secret science project that quickly grows out of control. What will it eat next? And will she remember the directions to control it before it's too late? This funny story is told in rhyme, and it is full of pictures of colorful slime.

Reviewed by: sc

Date read: 6/15/2009

ISBN-10: 1416911758

ISBN-13: 9781416911753

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A great story of how a handful of lima beans planted by Anna in a vacant city lot sprouts a life of its own as various members of the neighborhood contribute to their community garden.

Reviewed by: sc

Date read: 3/27/2009

ISBN-10: 0060274719

ISBN-13: 9780060274719

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