When someone steals the winner's trophy for the school book project, Clarice emulates her favorite book heroine, Ruby Redfort, the detective.

Reviewed by: sc

Date read: 4/13/2009

ISBN-10: 0763627887

ISBN-13: 9780763627881

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Their magic tree house takes Annie and Jack to Pompeii, just as Vesuvius is about to erupt, where they must find a Roman scroll, before everything is covered with burning ash.

Similar books: Ancient Rome and Pompeii: A Nonfiction Companion to Vacation under the Volcano by Mary Pope Osborne

Reviewed by: sc

Date read: 3/27/2009

ISBN-10: 0679890505

ISBN-13: 9780679890508

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When Zoey visits a grandmother she's never met, she finds a beautiful china doll. When the doll comes to life, Zoey couldn't be more shocked, especially when the doll turns out to be rather rude! The doll believes she's a princess. How will Zoey cope with the doll's demands when she also has to deal with her family fighting? Will Zoey ever find someone who cares about what she needs?

Reviewed by: emc

Date read: 7/6/2011

ISBN-10: 0375956913

ISBN-13: 9780375956911

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Mrs. Oliniski returns to teaching 6th grade after becoming paralyzed in an automobile accident. One of her most difficult assignments is to pick four members from her class for the annual academic bowl. How she selects the very different students, who call themselves the Souls, is a mystery, or - did they pick her? Get ready to meet Noah, who was the best man at the wedding of Ethan's grandmother to Nadia's grandfather. Then there is Julian, half Eastern Indian, who practices magic and starts the events in motion by inviting them to a tea party. This is a funny, heartwarming tale about the Souls, whose innate compassion brings them together to help their teacher and in the process, help each other and themselves.

Awards won: John Newbery Medal

Reviewed by: ewl

Date read: 12/30/2010

ISBN-10: 068980993X

ISBN-13: 9780689809934

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With his sister, Darcy, getting married, 11 year old Rob just wants to stay out of everyone's way. His favorite hiding place is up the cherry tree, where he can watch everything, and everyone, including his cranky, old neighbor, Mrs. Calloway. After running into trouble with every member of his family, and Mrs. Calloway, Rob escapes to the cherry tree, where he witnesses someone pushing Mrs. Calloway out of her window, from which she falls, and is hanged to death on her binoculars strap. No one will listen to Rob when he tries to tell them, and now someone is trying to kill Rob.

Similar books: Nightmare by Loan Lowery Nixon; Alice, Rose & Sam by Kathryn Lasky; the Sammy Keyes series by Wendelin Van Draanen

Reviewed by: sc

Date read: 4/13/2009

ISBN-10: 0689717849

ISBN-13: 9780689717840

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