Alex has a pesky little brother named Jonathan who is always getting into his things. Alex decides that the obvious solution is to build Star Jumper, a spaceship made out of cardboard boxes and duct tape, and fly into outer space far away from Jonathan. After testing the spaceship, Alex realizes that he must return to Earth to create a Micro-blaster. What happens when he accidentally blasts Jonathan, and some other inventions go awry, too? Read this hilarious book for a new view of sibling rivalry and cardboard inventions. Look for the sequels: Gravity Buster and Time Twister.

Reviewed by: msp

Date read: 11/8/2010

ISBN-10: 1553378865

ISBN-13: 9781553378860

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Everyone in eight-year-old Artie's family loves lighting firecrackers at the Lunar New Year. One day, Artie's mean cousin Petey teases him too long, driving Artie to make a rash promise. He says that he'll buy firecrackers for all his cousins' Chinese New Year celebrations. How will Artie come up with the money to do this? Can his favorite Uncle Chester help him? Read this gentle story for a look at life in San Francisco's Chinatown in the 1950's

Reviewed by: msp

Date read: 12/8/2011

ISBN-13: 9780060253158

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It is the year 3038. Darci is a Genhant, a genetically enhanced person whose chromosomes have been engineered to produce desired traits. The only problem is that this makes life all too predictable. When she spends her summer at rock climbing camp, Darci makes a discovery that she has unwittingly committed a capital crime, just by being born. What will happen when others learn of her discovery?

Similar books: Uglies by Scott Westerfield

Reviewed by: vverscaj

Date read: 8/3/2009

ISBN-10: 0439283531

ISBN-13: 9780786815685

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Ten-year-old Sally feels like her life has come to an end. Her older brother had rheumatic fever, and her family is planning to move 'temporarily' to Florida from their home in New Jersey. Sally has lived in NJ all her life ' she will miss her best friends, and her relatives, and school. Sally's favorite hobby is to make up movie stories, in which she is always the star. The year is 1945, and WWII has ended. In some of her scenarios, she saves her cousin, who in real life died in a concentration camp. In Florida, Sally meets some girls who are just like her ' teetering between little girlhood, and the teen years. Sally encounters an old man who, she is convinced, is Hitler masquerading as an old Jewish man. In this year she spends in Florida, Sally learns a lot about herself, and about those she loves.

Similar books: Anastasia Krupnick series by Lois Lowry

Reviewed by: sc

Date read: 3/27/2009

ISBN-10: 088103181X

ISBN-13: 9780881031812

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Stink Moody is Judy Moody's younger brother. He is afraid he will never grow! In fact, it's possible that he is shrinking. Judy measured him twice in one day, and the second time he was a full 1/4 inch shorter! Stink imagines that the gravity monster got him. He loves to draw comics about his life as the incredible shrinking kid. Everything that happens to Stink ends up in one of his comics. He becomes Newt Boy after he takes the class pet newt home. His favorite President is James Madison, not only because they share a first name (Stink's real name), but because Madison was the shortest President and he wrote the Bill of Rights. Stink is as much fun as his older sister.

Reviewed by: sc

Date read: 6/15/2009

ISBN-10: 0763620254

ISBN-13: 9780763620257

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