Written by: Amy Aiken Book Title: The Report Card Author: Andrew Clements Grade: 4th Nora Rose Rowley is a fifth grader who new how to read when she was only two and a half years old but no one knows how much of a genius she really is! Since Nora wants to fit in and be normal she gets bad grades on her report card, however that was not the best decision for Nora. Since that didn’t go the way Nora wanted Nora and her best friend Stephen start a protest against tests and grades. Will Nora ever be able to tell her family and friends her secret or will they find out for themselves? This book is SO good that you will be on the edge of your seat the whole time you’re reading it and it is the MOST funniest book I’ve ever read. It is also a good conversation starter on testing and grades…not to get too carried away with your grades and your grades don’t tell you if you’re a dumb or smart person because there’s more to a person then grades and test. Also I would recommend this book to people ages 9 and up.

Book Review Written by: Emmy Gross Nadia, Ethan, Julian, call themselves the souls they are all members of the Academic Bowl in Ephiney Middle School. Their teacher, Mrs.Olinski has selected them for the academic bowl.Each character has their own narrative part in the story. Throughout this story the readers learn that each has their own personality. Most of them are nice except for Noah. He thinks he is “Mr. Independent” and hardly ever listens to anybody but himself. The main problem in this story is that the souls are trying to win the academic bowl. Will the souls be able to win the championship and take home the trophy? As the reader reads the book they will find how each character is intertwined! The souls learn that they are much more connected then just being classmates. My favorite part in the book is when they are getting ready for the academic bowl. As the book goes on at the end you learn that no matter what hard times go on in your life, your friends can help you through it. I would recommend this book is just for you!

Martin Luther King Jr. had a sister and a brother. His sisters name was Willie Chistine. His brothers name was Alfred Daniel. Martin loved to sing and he sung in his fathers church. Then two of his friends didn't want to play with him anymore because he was black and they were white. Martin began to cry. His mom told him that back then there were slaves. They got freed but people treated them badly. Now there were only white signs. Black people weren't aloud in some places like some parks, pools, hotels, restaurants and even some schools. Blacks were kept out of many jobs. Martin read books about black leaders. Martin entered the Morehouse College. Martin became a minister. He married Coretta Scott. Rosa Parks was arrested for sitting in a whites spot on the bus. The blacks people hated being kicked about. One day some threw a bomb into Martins house. The black people wanted to fight but Martin said NO!. Then the bus problems ended. Martin kept trying. When he made his speech everyone listened. The next year ,1964, white only signs were took down. Now blacks could go anywhere. On April 1968 Martin stood outside his motel room. A man named James Earl Ray was hiding near by. He pointed a rifle at Dr. King and fired the gun. An hour later Dr. King was dead. On his grave stone it said in his own words : Im Free At Last.

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Rosa Parks was born in Tuskegee, Alabama, on February 4, 1913. Some people in her family were slaves. Her family moved to Pine Level, Alabama. Where they lived on there grandparents farm. In 1915 Rosas brother Sylvester was born. Rosas mother taught Rosa how to read. In 1931 she met Raymond Parks. And in 1943 they married. Then she met Martin Luther King Jr and soon was fighting to stop segregation. The buses were segregated. African Americans were only allowed to sit in the back. In 1943, Rosa got on the bus, paid the fare, and got off, to wait for the next bus. In 1955, Rosa was arrested for not letting a white man sit in the seat. Rosa went to a local court and had to pay ten dollars plus court cost. After that black people would stop riding the buses until segregation was over.

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Thurgood Marshall was born in Maryland on July 2,1908. Thurgoods father worked as a waiter on the Baltimore and Ohio railroad. Thurgood went to law school. When ever he got in trouble he had to memorize part of the Contitution. Thurgood and Vivian met. They married on September 5,1929. In 1930 he decided to be a lawyer. Thurgood was the first African American to win a case at the Supreme court. In 1954 Thurgoods wife had cancer. She died in Febuary 1955. Thurgood married another lady named Cecilia and had two sons. In 1961Thurgood became judge of the United States Court of Appeals. Thurgood died on January 24,1993.

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BOOKER .T. WASHINGTON 1856 - 1915 Booker T. Washington opened a school for blacks and taught them and raised money. He also spoke to big groups and told them the student’s needs. Bookers mother was a slave and at age seven Booker cried water to the workers in the field. Booker worked with his stepfather in a mine, a mine is a tunnel for people to dig up salt. He worked for five hours in the morning. He also went to school and then he went back for two more hours. When he was older he went to Hampton Institute and worked as a janitor to pay for school. Booker finished school at Hampton in 1875. He worked at Hampton at night. Then he started a school in Tuskegee, Alabama because the children needed a teacher and a school. 400 students lived on campus. Fannie Smith and Booker got married and had one girl. Fannie died in 1884. Then he got married to Olivia Davidson they had two boys. She died in 1889. Then he met Margaret Murray. He hired her to work for him. He liked her and they got married and they had no children. Booker started the school on his beliefs. He thought both work and school. Booker hired George Washington Harvard. Booker and George shared many ideas with each other. W.E.B Du Bois didn’t like Bookers idea s. He thought that blacks and whites should have the same rights. Booker thought African Americans should get well paying jobs. So he made a book called Up From Slavery. Booker T. Washington died in his home on November 14, 1915.

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Black and white kids played together when they were little. When they were six, they would not be friends anymore. Black and white kids did not have the same schools. Tons of people were put in to jail for protesting against laws. Martin Luther King was also in jail. Some white people were very mad so they joined a group called Citizens Council. They kidnapped black people and hung them up. Malcolm X was a leader of a religious group. The group was called Black Muslims. There were a lot of protest songs. It was part of the civil rights. The bus boycotts name was Non violent direct action. Children were involved in the civil rights protest.

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A story about a boy dealing with divorce and being in a new school. ENRICHING ACTIVITY: Start a journal or diary

• Link off of Beverly Cleary's Official Webpage

Book Review Written by: Morsal Sahar Roy, the new kid in school is already being picked on by the school bully, Dana Matherson and his gang. One morning while Roy’s face was being pushed against a window, he saw a strange barefoot boy running away from the school bus with no school supplies. He goes by the name Mullet Fingers. He calls himself that because he can catch a mullet fish with his bare hands. There are these burrow owls that Mullet Fingers wants to save. So Roy and Mullet Fingers become a team and are trying to save the owls before they get bulldozed over. Will Roy and Mullet Fingers save the owls in time before Mother Paula’s Industry bulldozes over them? What I liked about this book was that it made me make up my own questions and the author did a great job describing different points of view from all of the characters in the book. In the story Roy learned to never judge someone before you get to know them. For example he thought that Mullet Fingers was crazy and Roy didn’t know what type of person he really was until Mullet Fingers showed him the owls. I recommend this book for people to read ages 9 and up.

Book Review Written by: Carter Underwood Whether he is jumping across roof tops or running on railroad tracks, Maniac Magee is always on the move. Of course he wasn’t born with the name Maniac, his real name is Jeffery Lionel Magee. But ever since his parents died his name changed too. Maniac ran away from home and now he thinks he will never belong anywhere. Just when he finds a loving family and gets his hopes up, a boy named ‘Mars Bars’ Thomson tells him he shouldn’t stay with his new family because they are black and since he’s white, he shouldn’t be with them and back down his hopes go. Will Maniac ever get over his fear of never belonging anywhere? I think this book is sad but also very happy and that’s what makes it an action packed thriller. I like this book because it is suspenseful and always and exiting. I recommend this book to kids 10 and up because at that age they will be able to understand the lesson. Maniac learns that it’s not the color of your skin but the traits inside a person that count.

Book Review Written by: Aubrie Donnelly Well you all know who Ramona Quimby is. She’s just always up to something and now she’s in the third grade so a lot more is expected of her. Her dad is going back to school and this causes problems for Ramona and her family because she enjoys spending a lot of time with her dad. Then there’s her neighbor Willa Jean who annoys her and drives her crazy! And she wants to play dress up ! But Ramona has other things to do. Will Ramona ever figure out how to solve these problems? I think Beverly Cleary does a good job with her books! I like Ramona books because she’s always up to something in every chapter. That’s what makes it so exiting! I would recommend this book to people 8 years and up.

A heartwarming story about a boys discovery of an abused dog and his attempt to save it despite his family not being able to afford it. ENRICHING ACTIVITY: Keep a log of pet cost (if you have one) or Research the total cost over a year of having a pet Watch the movie based on the book and look for differences

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This is a very humorous tale about 12 year old, Peter Hatcher, dealing with: a wild younger brother, a new baby on the way, and moving away for a year. ENRICHING ACTIVITY: Draw pictures of what all the "worm" foods would look like Write about your own life and what things you do that are inappropriate and how they affect the people in your family.

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Read about a boy who moves to a new home on his birthday. Life here isn't the same as it used to be. ENRICHING ACTIVITY: Make chalk drawings on BLACK CONSTRUCTION PAPER

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Book ReviewWritten by: Kiana Oliver Do you like to read about embarrassing moments and comedy? Well then, Mary Amato is the author for you! In the book, Frankie Wallop, a 7th Grade girl starts to become a trouble maker/liar when she figurers out that her dad his going out with a girl she doesn’t know about. Her name is Ayanna Bayo A.K.A: RATLADY! So, in the beginning of the story Frankie starts e-mailing Ayanna pretending to be her dad . It starts to get worse when Ayanna figures out it is Frankie but Frankie just doesn’t stop there. Do you think Frankie’s lies will catch up with Ayanna? Do you think Frankie’s dad will figure out what Frankie has been doing? I loved the format of the book because it is like e-mailing in real life. I also love the fabulous word choice and I think Mary Amato has a way with connecting to kids that read her books. The lesson learned is never to judge someone before you get to meet and get to know them. I recommend this book to ages 9 and older.

Book Review by: Danny Ilardo Judy Blume thought hard when she came up with this title: Double Fudge .In the book Fudge meets one of his cousins Farley Drexel Hatcher who happens to have the same name as him. This causes some problems for Fudge throughout the story. The narrator, Fudge’s brother Peter, tells how Fudge discovered money in a bag which becomes an obsession for Fudge. In fact Fudge thinks he can buy New York City. Peter becomes easily embarrassed by all the silly things Fudge does. Will Fudge’s obsession with money come to an end? My favorite part of the book is when Fudge and Mini (Fudge’s cousin) were yelling at each other because Mini was mixing everything up by mixing up everyone’s names. In this book the lesson that is learned is that money isn’t everything. Fudge starts to realize that his family is more important than money. I would like to recommend this book to people ages 9 and up.

Summary from publisher page of book: "When he decides to turn his fifth grade teacher's love of the dictionary around on her, clever Nick Allen invents a new word and begins a chain of events that quickly moves beyond his control. ENRICHING ACTIVITY: Create your own dictionary of made up words.

• Check out this official webpage devoted to the book Frindle

Marsha wants this year to be a great year, Roger Friday can't resist trying to get Marsha in trouble. See what happens when they have to work on a class project together. ENRICHING ACTIVITY: Come up with strategies of how Marsha could have handled Roger differently. What would you have done if you were in her situation.

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Book Review Written by: Josh.Zugnoni Harry and Doug are best buds but it’s hard to be Harry’s friend. Harry blames his mistakes on everybody, even Doug. Harry does horrible things throughout the book. For example Harry scares Song Lee by holding a snake in front of her face. He also pins Sidney on the ground and makes him say “I like girls!” two times. That’s how horrible he is. Will Harry ever stop being mean to his classmates. You will have to read it. It is a funny book in its series. I like how Doug is the narrator. The lesson in the book is that is to treat people the way you want to be treated. I recommend this book to people who like to laugh, ages 8 and up.

It's Summer vacation and Lucas thinks he is free. However, a French girld named Genevieve will be living with them over the summer. Lucas doesn't like the idea of having a full-time babysitter. See how Lucas' summer turns out. ENRICHING ACTIVITY: Make a list of some activities that you would like to do this summer and write a letter to your parents convincing them to let you do one or more.

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Book Review by: Brielle Vasciannie Cara Landry, is a new kid in the 5th grade that is shy and normal. But when she meets her new teacher, she is astonished when she gets the worst and the oldest teacher in the school. So Cara decides to write a newspaper on how her teacher Mr. Larson should not be paid for the job that he does not do. Will Cara and her class be able to turn Mrs. Larson around? Will Mr. Larson change his attitude towards Cara? Well you will have to read this book to find out. I like this book because when I read each page I could always visualize what Mr. Larson and Cara were doing because Andrew Clements did a good job describing the characters. I leaned from Cara that you should stand up for what you believe in. I think that’s important because if you keep things to yourself, no one will ever know how you truly feel. Also, I would recommend this book for kids who like school and from ages 9 and up.

Summary from back of book: Stanley Lambchop is a nice, average boy. He leads a nice, ordinary life. Then one day a bulletin board falls on him and suddenly Stanlety is flat. This turns out to be very interesting. Stanley gets rolled up, mailed, and flown like a kite. He even gets to stop crime. He's flat, but he's a hero ENRICHING ACTIVITY: Read about the Flat Stanley project on the website listed below. Get involved....

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In an unknown country, long ago, lived a young bratty Prince. Because he was a Prince he wasn't allowed to be punished, so a local boy had to take his place and be whipped in the Prince's place. Somehow these two boys end up on an adventure together.

• Look at this list of Sid Fleischman's celebrated books from his official website

As his community becomes flooded by a terrible storm Abel rushes out of his shelter to rescue his wife's scarf. Unfortunately Abel can't make it back to the shelter and ultimately finds himself marooned on an island. Join Abel on his journey to survive and find his way home. ENRICHING ACTIVITY: Make a list of 4 things you would take with you if deserted on a tropical island. Make a list of people you would miss if separated from your family, and why they are so important to you.

• Check this link from William Steig's Official Website

Book ReviewWritten by: Nathan Kerr Erin Hunter is a cat lover, and being a cat lover she started the Warriors series. In the book, Moonrise Brableclaw and Squillelpaw are on a quest back to the forest with some imported news to save the clan. While back at the camp the other cats watch their forest being destroyed. Will they get back in time or will they be too late? I knew I would like this book because when I read the first book, Into the Wild I knew I would like this book because I’m a cat lover so that’s how I got into the Warriors series. I recommend this book for ages eight and up.

Mrs. Frisby's son Timothy has pneumonia, which is a problem because now they can't move to their Spring home. With Timothy forced to stay inside, how will Mrs. Frisby find a way to move their home out of the way of the soon coming plow. This is one of Mr. Loughner's favorite books ENRICHING ACTIVITY: Watch the animated movie, "The Secret of NIMH", and compare it to the book Draw pictures of some of the more exciting parts of the story.

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A story about a mouse born to a human family. A shy and thoughtful mouse who loves adventure. Follow him as he tries to solve the mystery of a missing friend. ENRICHING ACTIVITY: Research the "Boating Vocabulary" found in the book using: Encyclopedias, Dictionaries, and the Internet Watch the movie and compare it to the book

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Book Review Written by: Samantha Tirabassi Stuart Little is mouse who is always getting into problems like dumped in to garbage trucks. All throughout the book Stuart goes on adventures that keep readers on their toes. Stuart meets a wonderful bird named Margalo but she flies away so Stuart goes out in the world to find her. Will Stuart ever find Margalo? My favorite part in the book is when Stuart pretends to be a substitute and he does not know any of the subjects. The lesson learned is no matter how small you are you can achieve anything. I would recommend this book to people who like fantasy books and people ages 9 and up.

The main character, a mouse named Ralph, stumbles upon a toy motorcycle left out by a boy visiting the hotel Ralph lives in. The boy and mouse develop a friendship and help each other on small adventures. ENRICHING ACTIVITY: Read the sequel Ralph S. Mouse or write a story about what is going to happen next if the book were continued

• Check out this link off of Beverly Cleary's Official Webpage

This Newbery Award Winner is about a young boy who is found guilty of stealing sneakers that literaly appeared out of thin air. Journey with him to Camp Green Lake, a boy's detention center. ENRICHING ACTIVITY: Watch the movie (rated pg) and look for differences between it and the book

• visit Louis Sachar's official webpage

A humorous collection of stories about a very unique school. Each chapter tells the tale of one of the students from the classroom on the 30th floor of Wayside School. ENRICHING ACTIVITY: Write Creative Stories based on people in your life (possibly write a collection just like Louis Sachar)

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Scott Harrison is as fast as anyone he knows on skates. When he is challenged by and beats a member of the local hockey team, they ask him to join. Scott deals with doubt and fear as one of his teammates ruins his self confidence. What wil Scott do?

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Keith drops a sure touchdown pass that would have given his team the victory. Because of his drop their season was over. The rest of the book focuses on the next season, and Keith is having a hard time with his confidence. Confidence is what Keith will need as another player wants to play his positon. ENRICHING ACTIVITY: Write a letter to Keith, trying to help him become more confident as a receiver

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Mac is a leader of his soccer team as it's goalie and team encourager. However someone isn't so impressed. An anonymous (unknown) artist has been making fun of him in a weekly cartoon. See how this affects Mac and see if you can figure out who it is before he does. ENRICHING ACTIVITY: Come up with rhyming cheers for your favorite sports team. Draw a cartoon of Mac that he would be happy with. Attempt to draw the cartoons mentioned in the book.

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Kim Rollins spends his first day of baseball practice trying to learn a game he has never played before, only to realize that everyone else on the team hasn't played before either. Despite the inexperience the coach is determined to win the championship. Follow Kim and his teammates as the season progresses. Will they win the championship?

• Check out the other books related to baseball that Matt Christopher has written

Book Review Written by: Darrell Barley In a hot, steamy desert a boy named Stanley Yelnats is digging holes. The problem in the story is that Stanley is guilty for stealing shoes that fell from the sky, but they were stolen. This book is about boys who committed crimes. Their punishment is that they have to be sent to Green Lake Camp to dig holes. Stanley Yelnats is cursed and his parents always blame his great great grandfather. Stanley’s family is cursed because of Stanley’s no good, dirty, rotten, pig steeling great great grandfather didn’t bring Madame Zeroni up the mountain. Will Stanley ever break the curse for his family and be able to leave Green Lake Camp forever? My favorite part is when Stanley tells Zero a joke Stanley laughs Zero stares at him blankly not even smiling. The lesson that was learned is that no matter how big or small you can do anything you want. I think all ages 9-15 should read this book because it teaches you a life learning lesson. I think people should read this book because it is full of action packed adventure.

Book Review Written by: Jashaun Smith Whether they are dodging a Pteranodon or riding on a horse with a knight in shiny armor Jack and Annie can do it all. In this book they go back in time to Egypt where they meet a mysterious air Queen named Hutepi. Jack and Annie want to help Queen Hutepi but when they find out that she is a ghost Jack and Annie aren’t quite sure what to do. I really like this series because I like how Jack and Annie take adventurous journeys to distant lands and learn about new things and solve mysteries. Will Jack and Annie ever be able to overcome their fears and help Queen Hutepi solve a Egyptian mystery? The lesson is never be afraid to try something new. I recommend this book to kids 7 and older because it has real details about dinosaurs and mummies and other things.

Reviewed by: Shawn McEvily Whether he is giving kids good dreams or saving a little girl from other monsters the BFG is a one of a kind giant. In this story Roald Dahl did a great job describing this action packed book. One of the BFG’s hobbies is to collect dreams and blow them into kids’ rooms so they have good dreams. Sophie, a foster kid gets captured by the BFG but when they get back to the BFG’s cave she realizes that the monsters are foul man eating giants. Will Sophie and the BFG stop the foul man-eating giants? Or will they rule the world? I liked this book because Roald Dhal does a great job writing with his imagination when he makes up the bone crunching giants. He did a outstanding job with his word choice is also outstanding job like for the word: “snozzcubers”. I learned that it does not matter what size you are you can accomplish any thing. I recommend this book to people ages 9 and up.

The first in a series of 6 books written by famous Chrisitan author C.S. Lewis. Follow these brothers and sisters on their journey to the magical land of Narnia, a land they found in the back of an old wardrobe. ENRICHING ACTIVITY: Compare the events in the story to Biblical Lessons and events Watch one of the several movies adapted from the book and compare the two

• A website devoted to C.S. Lewis and his Narnia Chronicles