Zack loves weird stuff, so he's not shocked when an old tomcat starts talking to him at the cat shelter. Zack is set on adopting the cute tuxedo kitten, but the tomcat tells Zack that he's his great-grandpa reincarnated as a cat. What can Zack do but take him home? He's family. Great-Grandpa's in the Litter Box begins the Zack Files series, where Zack faces bizarre situations at every turn.

Reviewed by: emc

Date read: 9/10/2010

ISBN-10: 0448412608

ISBN-13: 9780448412603

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It's 1943 and the scientists of the United States are desperately trying to come up with a 'gadget' that will help defeat its enemies and end World War II. Eleven-year-old Dewey Kerrigan is the daughter of one of these scientists who are sequestered in a place no one has even heard of ' Los Alamos, New Mexico. Motherless Dewey does not fit in with the other children there, not only because of a crippled foot, but also because she loves to invent things. When her father is called to Washington, she is offered a temporary home with one of his co-workers. This family has a daughter in Dewey's class who hates the idea of sharing her room and her family with such a freak. This is a story of friendship, love, and loss set upon the dramatic background of a world about to be changed.

Reviewed by: sc

Date read: 4/28/2009

ISBN-10: 0142411493

ISBN-13: 9780142411490

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Aggie has decided to sell her motel in the Great Smoky Mountains. No one had stayed there for a long time and after her husband died, she couldn't keep it up. Shortly after that, a lot of people needed to stay at the motel. Willow's dad bought the motel to start a new life after Willow's mom left them. Loretta and her adoptive parents came while they were visiting the places on her birth mother's charm bracelet. Kirby and his mom stayed because their car broke down on the way to reform school. Each young person has something to learn and something to give in this wonderful story of families, friendship, and hope.

Awards nominated: Rebecca Caudill Award Nominee 2012

Reviewed by: hap

Date read: 5/4/2011

ISBN-10: 9780374399375

ISBN-13: 9780374399375

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When eleven-year-old Gregor, and his two-year-old sister, are pulled into a strange underground world, they are sent on a journey foretold by an ancient prophecy, triggering an epic battle involving men, bats, rats, cockroaches, and spiders. Book one of the Underland Chronicles series.

Reviewed by: sc

Date read: 3/27/2009

ISBN-10: 0439678137

ISBN-13: 9780439678131

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Commenter: Hannah, grade 2

Commenter: St. Charles Reader, grade 0

Will Stanton is the last born of the Old Ones, servants of the Light, who are immortals, dedicated to saving the world from domination by the evil force known as the Dark. Will goes to Wales to recover from an illness. According to an old North Wales tradition, a harp of gold will be found at a certain hill by a boy, followed by a white dog with silver eyes. Will needs to recover the harp of gold because its song will rouse the Sleepers by the Pleasant Lake. The Sleepers will join forces with the servants of the Light to fight the battle between Light and Dark. Will bumps into Bran Davies, and his dog, which is white and has silver eyes. The two boys set off on their mission, only to be plagued by the Grey King, one of the Great Lords of the Dark, at every turn. Can they find the harp of gold, awaken the Sleepers, and win the battle, or will the Grey King stop their mission? This is book four in the Dark is Rising sequence and the winner of the 1976 Newbery Medal.

Awards won: John Newbery Medal

Reviewed by: sc

Date read: 4/12/2009

ISBN-10: 0689500297

ISBN-13: 9780689500299

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