My friend extraordinaire, Julie Park, arranged the best going away present in the world. My students’ parents donated money for books for my next teaching assignment. Julie, being a reading specialist, went out and bought the BEST books for a classroom. She covered them with protective plastic, labels, and looked up their reading difficulty level.  Yeah, she rocks and is more than anyone can ask for. PLUS, she sent them to me gradually on the road. Julie is now teaching at a KIPP school in South Central LA for a new challenge.

134	The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe: Book 2 Chronicles of Narnia	Lewis, C.S.	189	Yes	Not sure if it is because you are introduced to the characters that will be in all the books in this one or what, but this one is even more enjoyable than Book 1: Magicians Nephew.  You so feel for Lucy when no one believes her stories of Narnia, and for poor Edmund who is allured by the dark side.
133	Fig Pudding	Fletcher, Ralph	136	Yes	Julie says I've already read it, but I don't remember. Yes, I had read it, but I enjoyed it the second time also. Very sweet family book.  Death and joy.  Old people and children. Responsibility for your actions. Just a good solid book.
132	Vacation Under the Volcano: Magic Tree House #13	Osborne, Mary Pope	74	Yes	bedside table
131	Hour of the Olympics: Magic Tree House #16	Osborne, Mary Pope	70	Yes	I enjoy the Olympics.  This Magic Tree House book seemed a little disjointed (she tried to fit it too many facts), but still a great series. Factoid: Boxers were in the original Olympics.
130	Enchantress from the Stars	Engdahl, Sylvia Louise	286	Yes	Well, this book certainly has high credentials.  It has been reviewed by many great writers.  The book had mature thoughts and to be appreciated, an older (6th-8th grade reader) might be better. Story of space travel in the future.  Far advanced race that wants to save another planet from a race that thinks it is way advanced, but actually isn't.  A need to make decisions that will effect many lives, living with difficult decisions, thinking about consequences. A good book. Female oriented.
129	Jimmy Neutron, Boy Genius	Novelization	140	Yes	I never saw the movie. The book was amusing.  Not great literature, but a fun read.  How could you not like Jimmy? He hates girls though. There are positive female role models, but the focus is all boy.
128	Wayside School Gets a Little Stranger	Sachar, Louis	168	Yes	It amazes me that this is the author of Holes. Yes, these are cute stories, quirky and even somewhat endearing, but they are no where near the greatness of Holes.  Into each writer, brilliance falls sometimes. These are like short stories with the same characters, an amusing read.
127	Lions at Lunchtime: Magic Tree House #11	Osborne, Mary Pope	70	Yes	Africa, wildebeests, and giraffes (my favorite land mammal). I learned about an bird called a honey guide that leads a Masai warrior to a beehive.  The warrior gets rid of the bees and the bird and warrior split the treasure.
126	Dolphins at Daybreak: Magic Tree House # 9	Osborne, Mary Pope	67	Yes	I have been reading a bunch of adult books, mysteries, and other mind filling, sit-com like books. I read Magic Tree House when I need to occupy 15 minutes of brain time. I always learn something, this time I learned that the main enemy of an octopus is a shark.  The setting for this book was the coral reef, one of my favorite places, so hard to go wrong.
125	The Magician's Nephew	Lewis, C.S.	202	Yes	Ooh. Book 1 of The Chronicles of Narnia.  I loved this series as a kid and am looking forward to a reread of the series.  This was the Harry Potter of my youth – reading each one in one session, begging for the next book (fortunately I didn't have to wait 2 years between books.) Great adventure. This one is the beginning of the world.
124	Phoenix Rising	Hesse, Karen	182	Yes	Loved the dark themes and setting of this book.  There has been a nuclear disaster and this book talks about the survivors.  Mature ideas.
123	Dave at Night	Levine, Gail Carson	281	Yes	Hannah Greenspan had raved about this book, and I have enjoyed some of the author's other books. I liked this book about an orphan in New York City in the 1920's. The setting is similar to the Great Brain at the Academy, but this is much more realistic and deeper. Great exchanges with the Black and Jewish communities. Good read.
122	Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix	Rowling, J.K.	870	Yes	Well, there was no question I was going to read it.  I liked it more than book 4, but still feel she has left the concept of editing behind in the rush to get out books.  Harry as an angry teenager was getting a bit annoying.  Character development is lacking.  But still a fun ride and a guaranteed read.
121	The Black Cauldron and The High King	Alexander, Lloyd	229 and 304	Yes	I read these books almost 2 months ago and it is a bit hazy to me. I remember loyalty, friendship and a bit of magic. Similar themes to Dark is Rising.
120	Day of the Dragon King: Magic Tree House #14	Osborne, Mary Pope	68	Yes	Massive respect for this series. Theme: knowledge is power and scholars are good people. Ancient China.
119	Little House in the Big Woods	Wilder, Laura Ingalls	238	Yes	I know I devoured these books as a little girl, but the appeal is a bit lost on me today.  They plod a bit.  Also, I can't quite hit on a theme. Just a collection of chapters, but I do remember begging for these and reading them at least twice a piece – so there has to be something I'm missing in my old age.
118	The Celery Stalks at Midnight	Howe, James	111	Yes	I love these books.  Bunnicula and his pals Harold, chester, and Howie.  The stories move fast and have lots of giggles.  I have a  special fondness for these as Bunnicula was my first successful read aloud when I student taught.
117	The Great Brain at the Academy	Fitzgerald, John D.	164	Yes	First Great Brain book and I enjoyed it. Brains tempered with common sense will get you ahead in life. Kid sneaks out of school every week, buys candy, sells it for a profit to other kids – I liked the touch that he insisted on collecting all wrappers to hide the evidence.  Very clean, but devious adventure story.
116	The Trespassers	Snyder, Zilpha Keatley	200	Yes	Ooh, slightly spooky and some unexpected plot twists.  Has a mentally ill teenage villain which is pretty unique for kid's books. Ghosts, importance of family, probably not a 5th grader read.
115	The Forgotten Door	Key, Alexander	140	Yes	Awesome idea for a story – marginally executed. Many people are cruel, but you can find good ones.  Sort of marginally sci-fi, but not too far out there. Boy falls from one world to another. Can read minds.  Finds many people who want to do him harm.
114	The Winter Room	Paulsen, Gary	103	Yes	Well this is certainly different than his other books I have read. The story was small – family on a farm, old folks telling stories by the fire. Not sure what kid would go for this book, but it was a bit like a Hallmark movie.
113	Anastasia Krupnik	Lowry, Lois	113	Yes	Sweet girl book. Theme would probably be – be true to yourself even in the face of adversity, but be willing to challenge your assumptions and change your opinions when warranted.
112	Chemistry Wiz: Solids, Liquids, and Gases	Norman, Penny	40	Yes	Good description of the various states of matter with good graphics. Jumps around too much though and should only be used as graphics.
111	Sing Down the Moon	O'Dell, Scott	137	Yes	In my history book, I am reading a chapter about Indians.  That is why I pulled all my Indian books down to read. The author would have liked this book as it clearly shows that this group of Indians were not rambling primitives.  They had orchards, crops, flocks of sheep.  The story is of Bright Morning, a 14 year old, who during the story is captured and enslaved, but does escape. Plot jumps around a bit, but well done.
110	Magic Tree House #10: Ghost Town at Sundown	Osborne, Mary Pope	73	Yes	These are just so well done. This one takes us to the old west with mustang wranglers and cowboys. Just a solid, well done series.
109	I, Juan de Pareja	Trevino, Elizabeth Borton de	180	Yes	I greatly enjoyed this book about a slave in Spain who is enslaved to the great painter Velazquez. The book was written in 1965 and has many civil rights thought entwined, but the characters were great and I enjoyed the description of painting and life.
108	The Sign of the Beaver	Speare, Elizabeth George	135	Yes	This "historical fiction" book about a young boy in Maine left alone for the summer while his father brings the rest of the family to the new homestead.   Matt shoulders the challenge and responsibility of being alone quite well, and the descriptions of this time are quite good.  Due to some special circumstances, Matt becomes friends with Attean, a young boy in the Beaver clan.  Pretty well done with some reflection on how hard it was on the Indians during this racist, warmongering time.
107	The Seventh Tower: The Fall	Nix, Garth	193	Yes	More SciFi/Fantasy. I liked the main character, but the plot left me a little empty. I liked Tal's fight to get a sunstone and his competition with music. However, the descriptions were incomplete and I didn't feel the place like I do in some other books.
106	The Kid Who Ran For President	Gutman, Dan	156	Yes	High expectations based on his baseball books. He is a great kid's writer.  This wasn't as good as the baseball series, but still enjoyable. It has quite a cynical look at American politics which I enjoyed. Story is of a friend and the hero who run for President.
105	Lies My Teacher Told Me: Everything Your American History Textbook Got Wrong	Loewen, James W.	318	No	Going to read a chapter, then a kids book. Looks interesting, but not enough to plow right through.
104	Greenwitch	Cooper, Susan	131	Yes	Third in the series. Liked it more than the first, less than the second.  Very short. Liked that book 1 and 2 characters met.  Liked that they focused on a very female ritual (the creating of the Greenwitch), thought that some of the magic was poorly explained and there were a few plot twists that left me huh-ing.
103	Yang the Eldest and His Odd Jobs	Namioka, Lensey	121	Yes	OK, the series is pretty predictable by the end, but I still think these are marvelously written. Yang has to balance between making money and music. Just a very solid series.
102	A Wind in the Door	L'Engle, Madeleine	211	Yes (adv)	Book 2.  I loved some of the theories / thoughts in this book. The concept of being named, of loving, of hate.  Good thought provoking fantasy. Plus, it talks about biology!
101	Mr. Popper's Penguins	Atwater, Richard and Florence	139	Yes	Vincent Chou liked this book and I remember him reading a page or 2 for me when I sub-ed for Julie one time. I can see why it attracted him.  Lots of silliness, happy ending, plays on words.  Pretty light.
100	The Indian in the Cupboard	Banks, Lynne Reid	181	Yes	Fun. I would have liked to discuss this book with others (and I rarely say that as I don't like talking to others). However, I wanted to know how others would have viewed Omri's decisions. He makes many decisions regarding his ability to turn plastic objects into live miniatures - some of them quite poor.   Good lit circle book for 5th grade.
100	Queen of Attiola	Turner, Megan Whalen	?	YES	GREAT AUTHOR!  Suspense, adventure, characters.  Loved it. Might be my favorite author of all. A perfect 100th book - over 7 months. Not bad - not quite up to Ms. Park's 100 books in a summer challenge though.!
99	Over Sea, Under Stone	Cooper, Susan	243	Yes	So, this book is first in The Dark is Rising sequence. (How could I have been so silly to assume a book called The Dark is Rising was the first one…). I actually wasn't as enamored of this book as I was of Dark is Rising.  I think it was because I was already well aware of who Uncle Merry was and I wanted him to do more. He was sort of a hollow, background character in this book and I wanted more of him.  Still, it is well written.  It just didn't grab me quite as completely.
98	On the Far Side of the Mountain	George, Jean Craighead	170	Yes	Sequel to My Side of the Mountain. Could this book be better written? I liked the characters even more than the first. Sam's sister, Alice, decides to live with him.  More of a moving plot.  I love the descriptions of nature, the stewardship of the land, the responsibility. Well done sequel also!
97	The War with Grandpa	Smith, Robert Kimmel	140	Yes	Delightful and funny book. Written by Peter (on a class assignment) and tells the story of his war with his newly widowed and just moved in grandfather. Love, jokes, and thought.  Very well done and enjoyable.
96	One Small Dog	Hurwitz, Johanna	111	Yes	Innocuous book about trying to raise a puppy and failing.  Boy going through divorce gets a dog after begging.  Can't train or handle it, has to give it up.  Shows responsibility and thought. All ends well.
95	So Far From The Bamboo Grove	Watkins, Yoko Kawashima	183	Yes	One of the great joys of reading is being transported into another person's life.  This book is written by a Japanese woman about her harrowing escape from Korea at the end of WWII.  Her family had been stationed in Northern Korea and as the war was ending they had to deal with bombing air raids and then the Koreans trying to kill them. A powerful book that shows that the real victims of war are not political institutions, but people - 11 year old girls who practice calligraphy.  Reading about their life and not wanting it for others is fundamental.
94	It's All Greek to Me	Scieszka, Jon	71	Yes	Oh what fun! The Time Warp Trio books are just good, clean, geeky fun.  They are just filled with inside jokes and bad humor.  This one is about Greek gods and mythology.  There is a web link in the back to the play that the kids put on - would be fun to look at as an extension of this.
93	Scorpions	Myers, Walter Dean	216	Yes	Nope. I know it is a Newbery Honor book, but I wasn't buying the characters.  I didn't feel for Jamal and Tito as they struggled against the evils of gangs and violence. His older brother Randy is in jail for killing someone and the family is trying to get appeal money together. I felt the despair, but not the motivations.  Good bit about the power and evil of having a gun - the draw of having a bigger arsenal than your opponent, but the message of - you are your own responsibility is not there.
92	The Dark is Rising	Cooper, Susan	244	Yes- Adv	ALRIGHT! As good a Fantasy as A Wrinkle In Time. I was enthralled and read this long book in one sitting.  Great conflicts between the Dark and the Light. Great character in Will, the 7th son of a 7th son. Enjoyed the descriptions of the lands and the characters who mentor Will - the Old Ones.  My humble opinion is that a movie of this would blow good old Harry Potter out of the water. This book is sophisticated and I had to look up a few unusual words - strong readers. Lugubrious - there is an SAT word for ya.
91	No More Magic	Avi	138	Yes	Not really getting Avi.  Maybe I have been reading too much superior Fantasy, but this book didn't do much for me.  Chris thinks he has a magic bike that disappears after being stolen by a mysterious warlock. Felt a lot like Ramona and clan to me with a mystery - sort of Ramona meets Nancy Drew.
90	The Intimate Letters of Eleanor Roosevelt and Lorena Hickock: Empty Without You	Striematter, Rodger	298	No	Adult book.  I'm actually going to write a mini travelogue about how I happen to read this book as it has to do a lot with our various sites. Gives you insight into her mind and thoughts during her time in the White House. Fascinating book, but I probably could have gone for a condensed version.
89	All about Sam	Lowry, Lois	135	Yes	Continuation of a series about Anastasia Krupnik.  This one about her little brother.  Looks similar to Ramona and gang except updated.  Perfectly harmless, fun little book about growing up with highly educated parents.
88	A Wrinkle in Time	L'Engle, Madeleine	211	Yes	Wow. Everything a kid's book should be and more.  Suspense, morals, excitement, and a happy ending - and continuations.  Plus, love of learning. Meg, Calvin (a friend they meet), and Charles (the brilliant little brother) fight a dark magic. Some religion to discuss, but overall - great read.  Highly recommended.
87	So You Want to Be a Wizard	Duane, Diane	386	Yes	My review of this book is shaded by my next book (A Wrinkle in Time) on somewhat the same topic - the other book is a masterpiece and this book is merely good.  If I hadn't read the other, I might have oohed and aahed over this fun and slightly scary book about Nita who finds a book that teaches her how to be a wizard.  Along the way, she meets Kit who found a similar book.  Together they fight a dark magic. Great images of NYC. I liked that one of the "symptoms" of being a wizard is love of reading. Go geeks. Enjoyable book.
86	Yang the Third and Her Impossible Family	Namioka, Lensey	143	Yes	Third book of the series.  I liked this one better than the second book about second sister. It is more of an important lesson for kids about trying to fit in - a little heavy handed in the message, but it is a big message. Mary is embarrassed by her family and tries to attach herself to the most popular girl in school . Well written series. Lots of humor and good will. Great little bit on what being "ethnic" means.
85	Honus and Me	Gutman, Dan	138	Yes	Second in the series I have read.  I think these are great books.  Well written, good plot, a little baseball history, and some fun fantasy. A winner series. Honus (pronounced like Honest) was an amazing ballplayer back in 1909.
84	Yolanda's Genius	Fenner, Carol	211	Yes	Newbery Honor. I enjoyed this book about a girl whose family moves from the tough streets of Chicago to a little town in Michigan.  Her mother does this to try to give her son and daughter a better life. Yolanda figures out her little brother is a musical genius.  The main story line is about her quest to get him recognized.   Probably would be enjoyed by musical types.
83	Arthur, For the Very First Time	MacLachlan, Patricia	117	Yes	Same author as Sarah, Plain and Tall.  She writes great little books.  This one is about Arthur who is figuring out how to live at a summer with his aunt and uncle.  He takes notes in a journal always as an observer of life, but learns to experience life for real.
82	Sammy Keyes and the Hotel Thief	Van Draanen, Wendelin	163	Yes	A fun children's mystery.  Good characters, engaging plot, and fun.  Also dealt with getting harassed at school although maybe not in the most positive way (heroine punches her harasser).
81	The Story of Amelia Earhart: Lost Star	Lauber, Patricia	101	Yes	A Scholastic Biography.  Although Earhart is one of my idols, I found this book hard to read. The sentence structure was too basic and repetitive. I guess if someone had told you how amazing she was and you were a beginning reader, it would be OK, but I wish it were written better.
80	Polar Bears Past Bedtime, Magic Tree House #12	Osborne, Mary Pope	71	Yes	My second Magic Tree House book. I am getting now that Jack and Annie and Morgan are in all the books. They must lead exciting lives. They go to the Arctic and Jack takes notes on bears and the Arctic.  Still a fan for developing readers.
79	The Westing Game	Raskin, Ellen	216	Yes	Newbery winner.  I liked this mystery about residents of a high rise apartment building trying to figure out clues left to them by a dead guy.  If they figure out who the killer of the dead guy, they inherit 200 million.  It could be because I was reading 3 books at the same time, but I had difficulty keeping all the characters straight.  I think it would be a great book to keep notes on (the characters).  It might be rewarding way to teach the value of notes.
78	Bloomability	Creech, Sharon	273	Yes	Mature 5th grade book. Story of Dinnie from a very poor family that moves constantly. Her relatives decide that she needs a better life (after her older sister shows up preggers) and they send her off to the Swiss / Italy boarding school where her Aunt and Uncle are going to be working.  She grows up over there, makes friends, and discovers life.  The trick of the book is that Dinnie records all of her dreams, but she leaves them up to the reader to interpret.
77	When Zachary Beaver Came to Town	Holt, Kimberly Willis	227	Yes	A full fledged version of Missing May. Southern writers make their characters quirky, but loved.  Zachary is the fattest boy in the world and comes to town as a one man freak show living in a trailer. His promoter leaves him in town for a while and the town has to deal with him.  They are also dealing with a son who is in the Vietnam War and a wife who is off trying to be a country western star. Lots of characters, lots of stories. I enjoy this type of book.
76	Missing May	Rylant, Cynthia	89	Yes	Strange little book about the death of a mom-like figure in the life of Summer.  Her uncle Ob misses his wife terribly.  Feels southern as the characters are quirky, but loved.  Well written story about grief and growing up.
75	Yang the Second and Her Secret Admirers	Namioka, Lensey	130	Yes	Second in the series that I have read. I have enjoyed reading about this family and will likely enjoy the book about the oldest boy also. Well done characters, believable and likable.  Just a story of ordinary life.  In this one, the shy Yang is duped into believing that a certain boy likes her, and two boys are duped into believing she likes them.
74	My Side of the Mountain	George, Jean Craghead	177	Yes	Loved this book! I remember it from my childhood.  Adventurous boy runs away from NYC and lives in the wilds for a year.  All about his thoughts, his methods, and his discoveries.  Determination, anti-procrastination, take the bull by the horns and go for it.  Plus an appreciation of nature.
73	The Wreckers	Lawrence, Iain	194	Yes	Not a great book, but a fascinating piece of history.  Towns used to lure ships in and cause them to crash.  They would then plunder the goods.  This is about a boy who lives through a wreck. He slowly learns the gruesome facts about the town while trying to stay alive.  Book just didn't move me, but the history was interesting.
72	The Great Gilly Hopkins	Paterson, Katherine	148	Yes	Fine book about a foster child entering a new household (her 3rd). How she tries to sabotage her relationships with her new foster parent (Trotter, a large, well-meaning woman with another foster child), with her teacher, and with anyone who tries to make friends with her (Agnes).  A bit dated with respect to some racial issues, but not horrid.
71	Everest Books 1, 2, and 3: The Contest, The Climb, and The Summit	Korman, Gordon	138, 151, 154	Yes	These books are like eating candy. They probably won't have a lasting effect on your life, but they sure are fun to devour. Similar to Korman's Shipwrecked series, you just can't put these books down. I loved reading about climbing.  These books are just action packed. Julie reported that some kids had trouble with the climbing specific vocabulary (crampon, belay), but if you can get past that, these books are thrilling.
70	Babe: The Gallant Pig	King-Smith, Dick	118	Yes	OK, I enjoyed this book a little too much! I never actually saw the movie, but I can see where it would have been a big hit.  Babe is befriended by Fly, the sheepdog, who teaches Babe the ways of the farm.  I loved the few words farmer and his talkative wife as background characters.
69	Onion John	Krumgold, Joseph	248	Yes	Book is slow moving. Not sure if it is because I am sick, but I just didn't get into the story.  Seems boy oriented or too long winded? Whatever it is, I didn't much like this book about a kid who befriends the town weirdo (Onion John).  When the town gets involved and tries to change OJ's life by building him a new house, they discover that their idea of "normal" is not OJ's.  Interesting concept with provoking ideas about charity, but I didn't much like the book. The sub-plot is about a father pushing his son into a career he doesn't necessarily want (astronaut).
68	Joey Pigza Loses Control	Gantos, Jack		Yes	Although it was great to read about Joey again, I didn't like this book as much as the first book.  It seemed too much of a sequel without too many new ideas to add.  Joey spends the summer with his father who decides that he will help Joey by teaching him to live without his patches.  Bad things result and Joey loses control.
67	Babe and Me	Gutman, Dan	160	Yes	Great premise for a book!  Kid can touch old baseball cards and travel back in time - lands near the player.  He goes back with his father to see whether Babe Ruth actually pointed where his home run was going to go in a world series (in 1932). Gets to know Babe and gets to know his dad.  I loved it - I think it would be a hit with a baseball fan.
66	A Long Way from Chicago	Peck, Richard	148	Yes	Also a 1930's book, falls closer to Out of the Dust than B is for Betsy on the reality scale. 2 siblings (boy and girl) visit their grandmother in a small town between Chicago and St. Louis.  Grandma doesn't have a phone or electricity and she is a stubborn old coot.  The book is sort of a story per summer of the years they spent there - quite delightful. Great, easy, country living book. Great read-alouds as the stories are pretty self-contained.  Good fun.
65	Out of the Dust	Hesse, Karen	227	Yes	First, let me admit if that I knew this was written in poems I probably wouldn't have picked it up as I don't find poems that reader friendly, but I loved it.  It is also about a white girl in the 30's (like B is for Betsy), but quite a bit deeper.  Oklahoma, depression, dust bowl, and a horrible accident that cuts the main character off from her outlet, piano playing, for a long while.  13 year old girl. Poems tell the story of her farm, her family (mom's death), her schooling.  GREAT book. I enjoyed it immensely.
64	"B" is for Betsy	Haywood, Carolyn	120	Yes	A charming little period piece of life in the 1930's for a rich little white kindergartner girl.  Nothing harmful, just not too in touch with the realities of today.  Innocence, but a very limited outlook of life - June Cleaver would feel right at home..
63	Joey Pigza Swallowed the Key	Gantos, Jack	153	Yes	I don't know if this is really how Attention Deficit kids feel, but if it is, it makes me appreciate their struggles more.  Joey has severe ADD.  Words (rules) bounce off of him after his morning meds wear off. He actually gets kicked out of his regular school and ends up in Special Ed.  Fortunately - on the first try - a new doctor gets him all fixed up with a patch that administers the drugs (possible?). I know now that getting drugs right is not that easy - it can take many more than 2 tries to get the mix right. No matter what though, this book gives a good picture of what it is like to be Joey.  I'm not sure if the audience is just teachers and other ADD kids. Not sure this would really help a non-ADD kid appreciate an ADD kid. Maybe his best friend, but we all know the world revolves around just you as a kid.  Neat book, but not sure how wide the audience is.
62	Once Were Warriors	Duff, Alfred	218	No	Time for an adult book again. Moving book about the Maori people of New Zealand. Living in projects, on welfare, drinking, abusing wives - all pretty common place in the book - told mostly by a wife and mother.  Lots of scenes have double and triple action in them - the parenthetical comments are about a scene happening miles away, but at the same time. Can be tough to follow, but felt like a very female way of thinking, although the book was written by a man.  Ends with some hope, but during the first few chapters you just want to knock some sense into the woman (which her husband fails to do after repeated beatings) Cookie's book club book.
61	The Adventures of Ali Baba Bernstein	Hurwitz, Johanna	82	Yes	My first Ali Baba book.  My recollection is that this is a Julie Park favorite from child hood. I can see why. Ali Baba is bored with his name of David so he changes it to be more exotic.  Adventures of a cute, smart kid in 3rd grade - good, easy reading.
60	A Writer's Notebook: Unlocking the Writer Within You	Fletcher, Ralph	128	Yes	OK, this is a how-to book for a writer's notebook. Great lessons, great ideas, great instruction.  I'll use it.  My favorite section was on writing small - something I forget to do also. It made me want to try to write one myself which I will have to if I want to preach it.
59	The Egypt Game	Snyder, Zilpha Keatley	215	Yes	2 young girls make up a "game" about Egypt after researching rituals and history. Several others join the game including 2 sixth grade boys.  Each character is wonderfully portrayed and has quirks. April, the main character, is likable through all her weaknesses and airs. Enjoyable.
58	Lizard Music	Pinkwater, D. Manus	136	Yes	The author lives near where I am staying now in Coldwater, NY. The book is easy fantasy and I think it would appeal to a Harry Potter type.  It seemed to rush to an end, but I still enjoyed the book. The character with the chicken (who goes by multiple names) is enjoyable.
57	Bud. Not Buddy	Curtis, Christopher Paul	243	Yes	Same author as The Watsons Go To Birmingham.  The other book might have had some funnier moments in it, but this was was pretty darned good.  This books jokes often relied on the lead character's book: Bud Caldwell's Rules and Things for Having a Funner Life and Making a Better Liar Out of Yourself. Jokes using the same vehicle get a little old after a while. Great book though, great character, good piece of era fiction.  (Not sure I would call it historical, but tells of the time).
56	The Thief	Turner, Megan Whalen	219	Yes	Loved it.  Perfect after the sugar of Green Gables.  Had a touch of Harry Potter, but was set in basically Greek mythology (fake Greek). Adventure, mystery, a touch of magic, morals, friendship, awesome twist ending. Basically, I loved it.
55	Anne of Green Gables	Montgomery,  L.M.	310	Yes	A classic. I know millions of girls have loved it over the years, but I guess I'm not the best girl in the world.  Anne was the original drama queen.  She was always in the throes of passion for this or that.  I know she was innocent and sweet, but enough already, she was in a pretty place. I'm sorry, Julie (who loved this book as a child), but the girl got annoying.  I much preferred my childhood favorites: The Girl of the Limberlost and Freckles to Green Gables.  Many, many sweet moments in the book and I did like the story group, but I was a little sugared out at the end.
54	Stowaway	Hesse, Karen	313	Yes	Historical fiction from the trip around the world by Captain Cook in 1768 as told from the perspective of a 13 year old stowaway, Nicholas.  I enjoyed his character, but I did find the diary writing annoying at times. I learned a great deal about life on the ship - mostly that they didn't know where they were much of the time and they did a lot of maintenance to the ship.  Enjoyable, but not awesome.
53	Alice In-between	Naylor, Phyllis Reynolds	144	Yes	This is my first Alice book, but I like the concept. Basic kid - growing up - lots of real, but difficult situations.  In this book, Alice is in-between 12 and 13 and has one friend who is acting too old for her age and one friend acting too young.  She is learning how to act on a date. Just a little slice-of-life book showing you how to deal with problems.
52	The Battle for the Castle	Winthrop, Elizabeth	211	Yes	This is a continuation of The Castle in the Attic; William is a year older and goes back to the castle to conquer more bad guys.  This time he brings a friend. I liked how William could understand some of his friend's weaknesses (talked too much when he was scared), but still liked him.  He has a crush on a girl in this one.
52	The Castle in the Attic	Winthrop, Elizabeth	200	Yes	I read this book a few weeks ago, but now I can't find it. I can't even find my notes.  I hope I sent it back to Julie already. I enjoyed the book, thought it was well written fantasy (cat turns into dragon - figured that made it fantasy).  Liked how the boy, William, grew during the story and used his own strengths to defeat the bad guys. Also thought the characters were well done.
51	The Moorchild	McGraw, Eloise	241	Yes	Yummy. Fantasy is such a nice break from the world. Saaski knows she is different from the other children in the village - she learns (or remembers) why when she finds out she is actually a fairy changed into a human child. I question slightly the idea of finding out that your differences are because of some reason.  Kids are different - and I think it is ok to feel different and just learn to accept (or better yet, rejoice) in those differences rather than search for its cause.  Given all that, I did enjoy the fantasy book.  It was fun, but I didn't quite go with the descriptions of the "underworld" at the end.
50	The Landry News	Clements, Andrew	138	Yes	I like this author!  He writes unusual books that go a bit deeper than the norm.  Cara Landry is another new kid. She handwrites a newspaper in 4th grade that is mean-spirited because she is angry at the world because of her parent's divorce.  In 5th grade she is more adjusted and starts another paper and ends up getting her whole class involved.  In the process, she teaches her teacher a lesson.  Good lessons on freedom of the press.
49	Tales of a Female Nomad	Gelman, Rita Golden	308	No	Thought I better read a grown-up book again. This is about a woman who decides to live life on the road.  She has no permanent address - she just travels from place to place staying up to 8 years (Indonesia) - living like a local. She is an amazing and brave woman - some of the situations she gets into are incredible.  She is also children's book author (More Spaghetti, I Say!).  The book made me think about my temporary nomad life - she does it a lot better than we do - we haven't been connecting enough with strangers. We have been visiting with many friends lately, but not reaching out to strangers. Food for thought.
48	The Witch of Blackbird Pond	Speare, Elizabeth George	249	Yes	Set in 1687, tells the story of a girl raised in Barbados and forced to travel to Connecticut after her grandfather dies. Shows how she tries to integrate in with the Puritans, but often fails just because she can't understand or can't follow some of the rules.  Good strong female character. I also liked the background character of Mercy, a crippled sister in the household.
47	Johnny Tremain	Forbes, Esther	256	Yes	I wonder how many kids have been inspired to fight for America after reading this book. Quite patriotic and moving.  I liked the characters a great deal, but I certainly didn't feel the horror of war (although it ends nearly hours after the first battle).  I ran into a woman in a Laundromat who had read this book as a child and still remembered the characters' names. I hardly remember them NOW and I only finished it a week ago.  Great historical fiction setting up the war.
46	Lyddie	Paterson, Katherine	182	Yes	Hmmm.  What a different world! No newspapers, no postcards, no radio. This book well describes the living and working conditions of life in the 1840's on a farm in Vermont and then mill life in Lowell, Massachusetts. I've passed by these same mill buildings often; they are dark, depressing places.  I really "felt" Lyddie's conditions and her despair, but I was a little disappointed with the ending.  It felt too wrapped up and it didn't make sense for the story. (Don't read this if you haven't read the book - Lyddie decides to go to Oberlin to college, but it was shown earlier in the book how long her friend Betsy had studied to prepare for this college. Lyddie can read now, but doesn't know Latin or Botany.  Also - I hadn't gotten that learning was one of her "bears" - the analogy in the book is that just as she faced down a bear on her farm, many of her other challenges are shown as bears that she must also conquer.)  Good descriptive book with too picture-perfect, teacher ending that irritated me.
45	Tangerine	Bloor, Edward	294	OK to No	LOVED this book, but it is more for 7th graders as the lead character in the book is (Paul Fisher). Same exact set-up as Spider Boy - new town, new school, even one older sibling, but this book is so much darker and complex and developed. (And a 100 pages longer).  All is not perfect in the family and there are quite a few plot twists as Paul figures out his family and his past. Very engaging read and I think the addition of soccer / football would hook a reluctant reader / lover of those sports. Loved the characters.
44	Spider Boy	Fletcher, Ralph	180	Yes	Fletcher has written several books on writing that I will be reading.  I thought it would be good to read his writing first.  Although if Fletcher can't write, maybe he can still teach how. Although Bobby is a seventh grader in the book, I think it would still be OK for 6th graders.  Bobby loves spiders and keeps a spider journal.  The book is about his integration into a new school / town.  Good solid book about the topic of making new friends and even dealing with tragedy.  Bobby's life parallels the life (and health) of his spider.
43	By The Great Horn Spoon	Fleischman, Sid	Yes	193	Great fun, book about the Gold Rush in California. Lots of adventure for a young boy and his butler.  I liked the characters. Not much historical information, but a little scattered in.
42	The Summer of the Swans	Byars, Betsy	Yes	129	Sister of mentally retarded boy has a summer of learning.  Great descriptions of his thoughts.  Good book.
41	The Noonday Friends	Stolz, Mary	Yes	182	This reminded me of The Girls a little bit.  Complexity of girl's friendships that don't make sense. Set in NYC.  Dad is an unemployed artist.  Good section on poverty and not being able to afford things as explained to the little boy.  Reasonable book.
40	The Borrowers	Norton, Mary	Yes	180	Finally, a book I really remember from my own childhood! Little people who live in a house of big people. Great fantasy and a classic. I like the family and I like the little girl coming into her own. This is a series.
39	Yang the Youngest and His Terrible Ear	Namioka, Lensey	Yes	134	Fun. Story of a newly immigrated Chinese family that has different ways of integrating into American culture. (It is a series).  In this one, the youngest boy doesn't have the musical talents of the rest of the family. He likes baseball. Some humor, some friendship. Good book.
38	Boy in the Girls' Bathroom	Sachar, Louis	Yes	?	Author of Holes. I loved it!  This is not as subtle as Holes, but is it still a delightful, straight-forward read and should be read by all teachers and counselors as an easy, but insightful read.  I wish that all kids' problems in school could be fixed this easily, but the story of a boy who has basically fallen into the reject mold at school and climbs his way out with the help of Carla, the new school counselor, is touching. Great imagery of everyone seeing the boy as a monster so he sees himself as a monster too.  It is hard to change your image and this book makes it look a little too easy.  Kids are forgiving, but maybe not this quick.
37	Our Only May Amelia	Holm, Jennifer L.	Yes	251	Newberry Honor.  When I finished this book, I wasn't that satisfied. I found the author's use of capital letters and no quotation marks to be Quite Annoying.  Then I thought about the characters and realized that I had very much enjoyed them, especially the side characters, Issiah, the brother who likes sheep more than humans, Aunt Alice, the kept woman, and even May, the main character, a girl growing up in Washington in a Finnish community in 1890. She is Not A Proper Lady.  I thought the inclusion of a woman being hacked open by a murderer (and sewn shut for the funeral by the brother who wants to be a doctor) to be more than a tad violent. Overall, annoying writing style (which was probably copied from the diary the book was based on), but Charming Characters and a good realistic fiction book for the study of the times.
36	Afternoon of the Elves	Lisle, Janet Taylor	Yes	122	Strange little book about a friendship between two girls (4th and 6th grade), Hillary and Sara-Kate. Sort of a much younger and girl version of Kit's Wilderness - not as dark.  Sara-Kate has elves living in her littered, un-cared for backyard behind her shabby house. Hillary and Sara-Kate build a friendship while taking care of the village. A lot of messages about looking at looking at situations from different perspectives and novel ways - not assuming you understand something just because it makes sense from your paradigm.  Good book about strange friendships.  Newberry Honor.
35	The Two Princesses of Bamarre	Levine, Gail Carson	Yes	238	Same author as Ella Enchanted which I truly loved. This book has a ballad interwoven through the main story about Drualt, a hero who fought dragons and other monsters.  The two sisters (one brave and one afraid of spiders) are growing up with an idiotic father.  One gets the Grey Death and the story is about her illness and the other sister's search for the cure.
34	The Last of the Really Great Whangdoodles	Edwards, Julie Andrews	Yes	277	Written by Julie Andrews of Sound of Music / Mary Poppins fame.  This is a very descriptive fantasy book.  It would be fun to do as a read aloud and have kids illustrate.  The story itself - ehh, the kids didn't really do it for me.  Professor Savant was a worthy character as was Prock. The actual storyline was weak though. Still I enjoyed it more than I thought I would.
33	It's Like This, Cat	Neville, Emily Cheney	Yes	172	Newbery Medal in 1964 and Notable Children's Book from 1940 to 1970 by ALA? I didn't think it was all that great!  This is a book about Dave in the 60's in NYC. Finds a cat, Cat helps him grow up and meet people.  Has some disagreements with dad. Everybody ends up happy. Best thought in it was that if someone thinks your parents are nice, maybe they are nice through different eyes, and you can take another look at them. Good little bit about a "crazy" woman who Dave befriends.  This book was fluffy and I don't see how it got those two major rewards.
32	Ramona The Pest	Cleary, Beverly	Yes	192	I remember Henry and Beasley from my childhood so it was fun to catch up with the family.  Ramona starts kindergarten in this book and I was struck with how important it was for the teacher to "get her." Ramona is heartbroken when she feels her teacher hates her or even when there is a misunderstanding.  My favorite image from the book was Susan with the boingy curls because my mommy used to make me wear those too.  I also liked the part where the teacher uses fancy words and the class misunderstands - "sit here for the present".
31	Matilda	Dahl, Roald	Yes	240	Cute book about a child genius who teaches herself how to read.  Horrible parents. Wonderful teacher. Very funny chapter in the beginning about teacher report card comments, but I felt like it was more for the adults than the kids.  I'm not sure how many kids would think it was funny.  I still liked The Witches better.
30	Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry	Taylor, Mildred D.	Yes	210	I know that many teachers teach this book in 6th grade.  What a wonderfully written and thoughtful book. It is about an African-American family, the Logans, who struggle to keep their land in an area full of racism.  There are lynchings and beatings. One of the most powerful bits for me was the mother (a teacher) struggling with keeping her daughter innocent and keeping her alive - she doesn't want her to know about racism, yet she knows the daughter must know "how to act" in order to stay alive.  Good book.
29	Sounder	Armstrong, William	Yes	116	A man, a son, and his dog would be the easiest description of this book, but it is a bit more powerful than that. Another moving book about an African American family who has reached its breaking point.  The father steals and is sent away to the chain gang. The son grows up.  I was starting to think everything was going to end up a little too tidy (boy figures out how to get an education), but the ending was a surprise for me.
28	The Trumpet of the Swan	White, E.B.	Yes	210	Most of the books I have been reading were published after 1990. I was starting to wonder if ANYTHING had been written worthwhile before that.  I know it is just the stash I took with me for this part of the trip, but I was starting to wonder what I read growing up. The author has a formula that works for him. Talking animal with some sort of problem - Charlotte, Stuart Little, and Louis the Swan.  Sweet, harmless book, good read-aloud for 3-4? The underlying question about having too many possessions keeps coming up, but never resolved and Louis ends up with a lot around his neck.  Oh, I really liked the pictures in this book. The boy in the book keeps a journal and everyday ends writing with a question, which he ponders as, he goes to sleep.  The journal gets more advanced as the boy grows up.
27	Phillip Hall Likes Me.  I Reckon Maybe.	Greene, Bette	Yes	135	I enjoyed this book. I liked the female spunky character Beth especially when she realizes that she is losing contests (academic and sports) to Phillip Hall just because she likes him. She decides to stop that and try her hardest. Great description of 4H in here. Ran against the rule that the age of the character should be the approximate age of the reader though, she is 11 when the book starts and I think you could be 9 to read this - although it does have some girl-boy thoughts in it (nothing acted on). I'd read the sequel if I had it.
26	Homeless Bird	Whelan, Gloria	No	212	13 year old Indian girl who is married off to a sickly boy because the family wants her dowry. A strong female character, a great setting of India with some culture.  Good book for 7th grade.
25	Esio Trot	Dahl, Roald	Yes	62	You can see that I have a bunch of Dahl books to read! This one was super-short about a man who has loved the woman downstairs from afar for years. He tricks her into further conversation and all has a happy ending.  Still not as good as The Witches, but pretty benign.
24	Driving Mr. Albert	Paterniti, Michael	No	211	Thought I better read an adult book. This is a TRUE book about the doctor that took out Einstein's brain during the autopsy and tried to study it to see if it was different than other brains. As an old man, he decides to deliver part of the brain to Einstein's niece and the doctor and author of the book travel across the country with the brain of a genius in the trunk.  I enjoyed the book, but didn't feel attached to the writer.  Thanks to Susan Rose for this fabulous road trip adventure book!
23	Bridge to Terabithia	Paterson, Katherine	Yes	128	Many teachers use this one in 5th-6th grade, but it wasn't as great as I thought it would be. Friendship between a new girl and a boy in the country. Boy determines he is going to be the best runner in the 5th grade (a contest the boys do every day at recess), but the new girl beats him and everybody else.  Having fun with imaginations, growing courage, accepting life.  I really wasn't that bowled over though - I never understood the boy character's motivations that well - why was he so un-self-assured?
22	The Twits	Dahl, Roald	Yes	76	Well, better than George's Marvelous Medicine, silly book about gross old people that do mean things (sort of practical jokes) to each other and then they are killed by their monkeys who play a really bad practical joke on them. Harmless, many kids would laugh.
21	Misty of Chincoteague	Henry, Marguerite	Yes	158	Kids and horses. Kids work hard to earn enough money to buy a horse.  They train and race the horse and eventually let it return to the wild.  Nice ending about understanding that they didn't own the horse, nature did.
20	George's Marvelous Medicine	Dahl, Roald	Yes	89	Bad idea!  Book is about an 8-year-old boy that mixes everything in the house into a stewpot to make a medicine for his grandmother including antifreeze, animal medicine, and hairspray.  To give a child an idea that you can make a medicine is horrid. I know it is supposed to be funny, but I didn't laugh.  Grandmother shrinks and disappears at the end - no consequences.  We are not amused.
19	Prodigal Summer	Kingsolver, Barbara	No	464	Beautiful descriptions of nature and life cycle, but this is an adult book.  Listened to this on CD (I think it still counts.)
18	Grace's Letter to Lincoln	Roop, Peter and Connie	Yes	68	OK, trite little book about the girl that wrote Lincoln a letter encouraging him to grow a beard. Actual letters from girl and Lincoln in the back.  Lots of historical background hinted at - short, historical fiction - nothing wonderful or bad.  Basic book.
17	Pee Wee Scouts #30: Bookworm Buddies	Delton, Judy	Yes	100	My first PeeWee Scout book.  In this one, the scouts learn about responsibility and getting a library card. Very school oriented - I'm betting some of the other ones would be a more engaging first read.  All problems solved at end with teamwork. I thought it was funny that one of the kids tries to read baby books to up his count of books read - I'd never try that.
16	City of Light, City of Dark	Avi	Yes	192	My roll got broken.  Didn't like this comic-book novel.  The characters weren't doing it for me. Concept is that when humans came to Manhattan, they made a deal with the things that lived there (the Kurbs). Every year they have to acknowledge the deal by finding an object that the Kurbs have hidden. Big holes in the plot. The style is interesting (the comic book with many words), but I didn't find the story engaging.
15	Kit's Wilderness	Almond, David	No	229	As a guideline, I think that books written in the present time should be read by kids about the same age as the main character. I'm sure there are tons of exceptions, but the main character in this book is 13 and I think that would be a good age for this book (or older). About a new kid who moves back to the town of his grandfather. Grandfather worked the coal mines in his day (the pit).  The kid hooks up with other kids who play a game called Death. This is a fine book for teens - great for looking at friendships and helping each other when the adults don't understand. I liked that the grandfather was the one adult who understood some of what Kit was going through. Some of the characters didn't work for me (Allie), but I did like Kit and John Askew. Touches on mental illness and the strange things we see. Older book.
14	Sarah, Plain and Tall	MacLachlan, Patricia	Yes	64	I am on a roll.  I liked this book too.  This book is perfect for Laura Ingall Wilder fans. It is a short book about a man who gets a mail order bride.  Sweet, descriptive, everybody's happy. Strong women.  Great read aloud. Life on the prairie. My version had a great interview with the author in the back where she talks about the connection she makes with the characters in her book, often asking herself "what would Sarah think about this?"
13	The Music of Dolphins	Hesse, Karen	Yes	181	Wow, two good books in a row!  Although this is 6th grade appropriate, it might be better in 7th or 8th grade when you can think about some of the questions more.  What is a human?  What is a family? What is a friend?  Girl raised by dolphins is "rescued" and trained to speak English by scientists who study her through windows.  She learns human ways very quickly, but really misses her dolphin family. Did her friends do the right thing in the end?  Would you have done this? How would it feel to be Mila, the dolphin girl?  This book was SO much better than Aquamarine even though they have similar looking covers and Aquamarine won more awards.  Only one character is fleshed out, but that is OK as the book is only told from Mila's perspective (with a few writer tricks to move the story along).  No parents.
12	The Janitor's Boy	Clements, Andrew	Yes	140	Recommended to me by David Rose. A deep childrens' book. Those are rare.  About a 5th grade boy in middle school (hah, the TL parents don't think they exist) who has to reconcile with the fact that his dad is a janitor at the school (which is, of course, very uncool).  An easy read, but I thought it provoked much more thought than most books of its type. Don't judge a book by its cover (or a dad by his job). Believable characters.
11	House on Mango Street	Cisneros, Sandra	No	110	More appropriate for high school.  Very descriptive, poem-like language. Describes the life of a Latina girl raised in a poor section of Chicago. Each chapter is a mini-story and put together you get a patchwork portrait of her life.  It was moving, but not my style.
10	Marvin Redpost: Alone in His Teacher's House	Sachar, Louis	Yes	83	Little Marvin gets to learn that teachers are human when he has to take care of the teacher's dog. Cute book, very honest - discusses pooper-scoopers. Kid friendly.  Marvin is a 3rd grader.
9	The Witches	Dahl, Roald	Yes	208	Loved it!  Loved it! Loved it!  One of the reviews said from the first paragraph you felt like you were in the hands of a master, I agree.  Pure fun, no morals, no discussions.  I laughed out loud. What a great read aloud for 3-4 or early 5.  Boy learns about witches from his Norwegian grandmother and then meets some. Another tragic orphan though (I'm starting to keep track.)
8	Revolutionary War on Wednesday, Magic Tree House #22	Osborne, Mary Pope	Yes	69	My first Magic Tree House book!  I can certainly see the popularity of these books with developing readers. This one has the two characters, Jack, and Annie, going back to hang with the Patriots. The contrived Morgan Le Fay reason for travel was either a little shaky or underexplained, but I suppose if I had read books 1-21, it would make more sense. Great book for beginning chapter readers or kids who like the particular topic, but don't read well. Reminds me of the Magic School Bus for science.
7	Travels with Charley, A Journey Across America	Steinbeck, John	Yes	277	I doubt a 6th grader would want to read this, but there would be nothing wrong with it. Around 1962, John Steinbeck, already a famous writer about America, decides he has lost touch with America and that he needs an adventure.  He orders a camper trailer, grabs his poodle, Charley, and travels across America.  Quite an engaging book and a picture of America in the 1960's. I had to skim when he got into Texas, but his description of the northern states and California was wonderful.
6	The Girls	Koss, Amy Goldman	Yes	121	Wow. Powerful little book.  5 middle school girls.  Each chapter written from one of their perspectives.  The group decided to cast out one of the girls in the circle of friends. Candace, the ringleader, chapters didn't have enough explanation for me about how her mind works or her decision making process.  I went back and skimmed several of the girl's chapters one right after another (all of Maya's, then all of Candace).  The others explained the decision making process more.  The reason this is sad is that perhaps it could have given me some insight into a bully's mind, but maybe the author doesn't understand either.  Not ground breaking literature, but a great book to try to identify where you are "in the pack" and how you may or may not be hurting others.  Good for seeing other viewpoints.
5	Because of Winn-Dixie	DiCamillo, Kate	Yes	182	I didn't know the book was about a girl and her dog or I wouldn't have picked it up right after Shiloh. I thought we were talking about the grocery store here.  GREAT CHARACTERS - very engaging and offbeat, but believable in that southern oddball way. Another disturbing mother - well, a missing mom. Girl being raised by her preacher father who hides in his shell. Finds a dog after moving to a new town.  Dog changes her outlook on life. The book I have enjoyed the most so far this summer for its straight writing style, but other books have made me think more.
4	Shiloh	Naylor, Phyllis Reynolds	Yes	144	A boy and his dog. What could be better?  What interested me about this book was the assumption I made about time setting. I thought it was a book about the 40's or the 20's. It was a surprising detail to me that the friend had a computer in his room. Good book about moral choices. Did the boy and then the family make the right moral choice? Reminds me of the moral fable about the man who had to break into a pharmacy to steal the medicine needed to save his wife.  I enjoyed the book partially because I love dogs, but it is a well-written tale that would prompt good thinking about choices.
3	Downsiders	Shusterman, Neal	Yes	246	Picked as a required summer reading book for incoming 5th graders. Why should I describe it when my former teaching partner has dissected it so well?  See: Downsiders link. I enjoyed the book.   Park comments: This is the second time I've read this book.  I re-read it so that I could write a study guide for you.  This book has an unusual plot, above average writing, and some good themes to think about.  I also chose this book for your summer reading because no one had read it before.
2	Aquamarine	Hoffman, Alice	Yes	105	Very short book about 2 girls living next door to each other.  One is about to move away and they both fear friendships will end.  Find a mermaid who they help. In helping, all problems are neatly resolved.  Each gains the skills they didn't have. All is right with the world. Friendships breaking up due to moving, stopping the reliance on a friend to do what they do best and start doing it yourself.  The characters seem a bit silly and boy crazy, but it is a very innocent book. Felt a bit like a 1/2-hour TV show.   Park comments: Some good word choice and a nice, lyrical style, but very short on plot and characterization, not to mention a pretty simplistic theme. Don't know why NY Times Book Review and Booklist liked it so much.
1	The Hundred Penny Box	Sharon Bell Mathis	Yes	47	Very short book about an African American boy trying to protect his great, great aunt from his mother. Nice imagery of tradition and keeping track of what happens to you via a memory box (in her case it was a box of pennies).  Pretty disturbing mother. Respect for elderly. Quick read-aloud.