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Potter, Ellen. OLIVIA KIDNEY New York : Puffin, 2004 IL 3-6, RL 5.4 ISBN 0142402346 Olivia is getting used to yet another new home. Her dad works as a superintendant in an apartment but he is not really good at his job. When he loses one job, he moves on to another and brings Olivia and her brother with him. Olivia is angry and tired of being the new kid. But this stop may be different. When she loses her key to the apartment, Olivia begins to meet the other people in the building. There is the mysterious old lady with the glass floor, Alice who is more interested in fortune tellers than her toddler, Sidi who claims to be able to turn men into lizards, Sidi's servant who just may be a notorious pirate, and Bramwell, a boy Olivia's age who claims he is in her class at school. But with all this craziness, can Olivia find a friend?
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Pfeffer, Susan Beth. SHADE OF THE MOON
Pfeffer, Susan Beth. SHADE OF THE MOON New York : Harcourt, 2013 IL YA ISBN 0547813376 It has now been more than two years since the moon's orbit changed and threw every thing out of whack. Jon now lives in comfort in a gated community. He is living with his step mother and his little brother. His mother, his sister Miranda and her husband Alex live in less than ideal circumstances as grubs. The grubs barely have enough food to keep them alive. Some of them work for the community as servants. Jon has gotten used to this life and doesn't really think about the injustice. Until he meets a new girl who opens his eyes to how unfair this new society is. Why do they live in nice homes with clean air and a good education while the grubs live in filth with little food? The grubs who work for his stepmother work hard and only see their families on weekends. Jon's job is to play soccer and beat the grub teams. When the soccer game against White Birch goes terribly wrong, things change forever.
Sunday, November 30, 2014
Today's podcast 11/30/2014
Thursday, November 27, 2014
Today's podcast 11/27/2014
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Paulsen, Gary. FAMILY TIES : THE THEORY, PRACTICE, AND DESTRUCTIVE PROPERTIES OF RELATIVES
Paulsen, Gary. FAMILY TIES : THE THEORY, PRACTICE, AND DESTRUCTIVE PROPERTIES OF RELATIVES New York : Wendy Lamb Books, 2014 IL 5-8, RL 5.4 ISBN 0385373805 Kevin Spencer is back. And now he is head over heels in love with Tina. She is all he can think of and he wants to find a way to prove to her that he is her forever kind of guy. Knowing how important family is to her, Kevin sets out to show her what a great family he has. Except, his family is far from normal. His dad hasn't spoken to his brother in years. But Kevin will fix that. In trying to fix things, Kevin brings his whole wacky family together for a hilarious chain of events. In the meantime, Kevin is paired up with Tina's friend Kate for a school assignment that is also not turning out as planned.
Tuesday, November 25, 2014
Today's podcast 11/25/2014
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Offill, Jenny. SPARKY New York : Schwartz & Wade, 2014 IL K-3, RL 2.2 ISBN 0375970231 Do you have a pet? Well, I really wanted a pet. Maybe a bird or a bunny or even a trained seal. But Mom said no. I kept bugging her and she finally agreed that I could have a pet but only if it didn't need to be walked or bathed or fed. I went to the library and looked for some information and I found the perfect pet. A sloth. Not your average pet but a promise is a promise.
Sunday, November 23, 2014
Today's podcast 11/23/2014
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Menzies, Britt. STINKYKIDS SEE A FULL MOON
Menzies, Britt. STINKYKIDS SEE A FULL MOON New York : Raven Tree Press, 2011 IL K-3, RL 2.4 ISBN 1936402033 The Stinkykids are having fun playing outside. There is a full moon tonight and they know that full moons make you act crazy so they decide to act crazy. They jump around and howl at the moon. When they go inside, they continue to act crazy. But Hannah is making a house of cards and begs the kids to be careful not to knock it over. The kids are having too much fun to worry about what may happen. What do you think in going to happen?
Saturday, November 22, 2014
Today's podcast 11/22/2014
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Moser, Lisa. COWBOY BOYD AND MIGHTY CALLIOPE
Moser, Lisa. COWBOY BOYD AND MIGHTY CALLIOPE New York : Random, 2013 IL K-3, RL 2.4 ISBN 0375870563 There's no other horse quite like Calliope. She's short, she's slow, and she's lumpy. Cowboy Boyd rides her up to the ranch and asks for work. The other cowboys laugh at the sight of Calliope but Rancher Rose decides to give them a try. And it doesn't work out very well. When Rancher Rose tells them they have to move on, Cowboy Boyd says they will leave in the morning. That night, a huge storm rages across the ranch. Will Calliope help save the other animals?
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Mora, Pat. I PLEDGE ALLEGIANCE
Mora, Pat. I PLEDGE ALLEGIANCE New York : Knopf, 2014 IL K-3, RL 2.0 ISBN 0375971092 Libby's great aunt has just passed her citizenship test and will become a United States citizen on Friday. She will say the Pledge of Allegiance with a group of new citizens. Libby is going to lead her class in the Pledge on Thursday. All week the two practice so they can do this well. As they practice, they talk about what it means to be an American.
Thursday, November 20, 2014
Today's podcast 11/20/2014
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Lynch, Jane. MARLENE, MARLENE, QUEEN OF MEAN
Lynch, Jane. MARLENE, MARLENE, QUEEN OF MEAN New York : Random House, 2014 IL K-3, RL 3.6 ISBN 0385379080 Marlene was really the queen of mean. She terrorized the kids on the playground. She blocked their way to the loo. She pinched and poked and did whatever she wanted to. All the kids would cower at the sight of Marlene. Except Freddy. Can anything possibly change this bully?
Wednesday, November 19, 2014
Today's podcast 11/19/2014
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Ludwig, Trudy. THE INVISIBLE BOY
Ludwig, Trudy. THE INVISIBLE BOY New York : Alfred A. Knopf, 2013 IL K-3, RL 2.9 ISBN 1582464502 Have you ever felt invisible? Like everyone around you can't see you? Brian feels that way everyday. None of the kids want to be his friend. When choosing sides for a game, Brian isn't just the last one chosen, he isn't chosen at all. Brian plays by himself and eats lunch by himself. When a new boy joins the class, things may just change.
Tuesday, November 18, 2014
Today's podcast 11/18/2014
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Lu, Marie. CHAMPION New York : G. P. Putnam's Sons, 2013 IL YA ISBN 0399256776 June and Day are back but they are not together. June is working with the Republic. She is now the Princeps Elect. Meanwhile, Day is working with the military and is stationed far from June. Day's brother Eden is with him and healing from the plague. When a new strain of plague breaks out, the Republic asks that Eden be turned over for testing to come up with a cure for the plague. Day will never agree to letting Eden be experimented on again. But June pleads with Day to help save the Republic. The Colonies are blaming the Republic for the outbreak and have threatened war unless a cure is found and given to the Colonies. Once again, June and Day must choose country over their own love.
Monday, November 17, 2014
Today's podcast 11/17/2014
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Lodding, Linda Ravin. A GIFT FOR MAMA
Lodding, Linda Ravin. A GIFT FOR MAMA New York : Alfred A. Knopf, 2014 IL K-3, RL 2.6 ISBN 0385753314 A young boy living in Vienna about a hundred years ago has some adventures as he searches for the ideal gift from his mother's birthday. He only has one coin and must make the best of it. When he sees a beautiful yellow rose in the basket of a flower vendor, he knows that this is the perfect gift for mama. As he is walking home, a painter sees the flower and begs to trade a paint brush for the flower. Then an orchestra conductor wants to trade some sheet music for the paint brush. And on it goes. Will the boy ever get the perfect gift for Mama?
Sunday, November 16, 2014
Today's podcast 11/16/2014
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Chapman, Elsie. DIVIDED New York : Random House, 2014 IL YA ISBN 0449812952 West Grayer has survived and is now a citizen. She has successfully defeated her Alternate and she is ready to move on. No longer will she have to work as a striker killing other people's alts. But just when things are starting to look up, she is dragged back into it. This time it is by the Board. She is told if she just does three more missions, they will ensure that any children she has will not have an alt. And her striker marks will be removed. She agrees. She is told that the targets are the alts of the children of Board members. She doesn't want to kill anymore but it is just too tempting a reward. When she finds her first target, her resolve may just falter. Will she be able to do this last assignment?
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Brennan, Eileen. BAD ASTRID New York : Random House, 2013 IL K-3, RL 3.2 ISBN 0375855807 She came into town like five tons of bad luck. The meanest kid on the block. She'll growl, spit and sputter whenever anyone came into her yard. Her neighbor was really afraid of her and decided she wouldn't ruin his summer. He would just do fun activities at home. But what happens when Astrid's bike comes crashing through the fence into his yard?
Friday, November 14, 2014
Today's podcast 11/14/2014
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Bottner, Barbara. MISS BROOKS' STORY NOOK
Bottner, Barbara. MISS BROOKS' STORY NOOK New York : Alfred A. Knopf, 2014 IL K-3, RL 2.4 ISBN 0449813290 Missy absolutely loves going to Miss Brooks' story nook. She doesn't want to be late but if she takes the short cut, she runs into nasty Billy Toomey. He always grabs her hat and chases her. One morning, there was a big thunder storm and the lights went out. Miss Brooks couldn't read a story in the dark so they decided to make one up. Can they make up a story that will solve Missy's problems with Billy?
Thursday, November 13, 2014
Today's podcast 11/13/2014
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Bonwill, Ann. WHEN MERMAIDS SLEEP
Bonwill, Ann. WHEN MERMAIDS SLEEP New York : Random House Children's Books, 2013 IL K-3, RL 3.8 ISBN 037587061X Come along to the land of magic. A land where mermaids sleep and pirates snore. Did you ever wonder if magical beings slept? Find out about genies, unicorns and dragons. But be sure to be quiet. Because everyone's asleep.
Wednesday, November 12, 2014
Today's podcast 11/12/2014
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Bernheimer, Kate. THE GIRL WHO WOULDN'T BRUSH HER HAIR
Bernheimer, Kate. THE GIRL WHO WOULDN'T BRUSH HER HAIR New York : Schwartz & Wade, 2013 IL K-3, RL 4.1 ISBN 0375968784 There once was a girl who refused to brush her hair. That's just her way. She had beautiful brown, wavy hair but just did not want to brush it. One night, a mouse decided to make a nest in her hair. Well, you know how some people jump and scream at the site of a mouse? She didn't. She enjoyed the company. And more and more mice decided to take up residence in her hair. At first the kids at school were jealous and they stopped brushing their hair hoping mice would live in their hair. But mice don't like baths and after a few weeks of not taking a bath, the little girl began to smell kind of gross. And then the teacher said she couldn't bring her doll to school anymore because of the mice. What's a girl to do?
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Berger, Lou. DREAM DOG New York : Schwartz & Wade, 2013 IL K-3, RL 3.4 ISBN 0375866558 Harry desperately wants a dog. He needs a dog. But his father won't let him have a dog. You see, his father works in a pepper factory and his nose is just too sensitive after being around all those peppers. If he gets near a dog, he just starts sneezing. Harry has a great idea. He puts on his X-35 Infra-Rocket Imagination Helmet and conjures up a dog. It is the dog of his dreams and he names him Waffle. They go everywhere together. But what happens when his father gets a new job and decides to buy a dog?