The Back Cover Description of Available Book Club Books Anastasia Krupnik– She’s smart, sassy and totally unique! She’s Anastasia Krupnik! To Anastasia Krupnik, being ten is very confusing. For one thing, she has this awful teacher who can’t understand why Anastasia doesn’t use capital letters or punctuation in her poems. Then there’s Washburn Cummings, a veryinteresting sixth-grade boy who doesn’t even know Anastasia is alive. Even her parents have become difficult. They insist she visit her ninety-two-year-old grandmother, who can never remember Anastasia’s name. On top of all that, they’re going to have a baby – at their age! It’s enough to make a kid want to do something terrible. If she didn’t have her secret green notebook to write in, Anastasia might never make it to her eleventh birthday. Bless This Mouse–Meet the mice of St. Bartholemew;s: Roderick, Hildegarde, Ignatious and Harvey. A church mouse is no ordinary mouse, and Hildegarde – the Mouse Mistress of Saint Bartholemew’s – is no ordinary mouse leader. It falls to her to keep all the church mice safe and out of sight. But when a few parishioners report mouse sightings, Hildegarde and th4e rest of the church mice must face a most dreadful consequence: the Great X. To complicate things, a ceremony called the Blessing of the Animals is fast approaching. Saint Bartholemew’s will soon be filled with pets …including cats! Oh dear. Within the stately stonewalls of the church, life is not as serene or safe as one might think. It will take the courage and patience of a –well, of a saint – to keep this scampering, squeaking tribe of Hidegarde’s intact. Bluish – Friendship isn’t always easy. Natalie is different from the other kids in Dreenie’s fifth-grade class. She comes to school in a wheelchair, always wearing a knitted hat. And she’s allowed to bring her puppy to class. The kids in Natalie’s class call her “Bluish” because her skin is pale and tinted blue “like moonlight” from chemotherapy. Dreenie is fascinated by Bluish, and a little scared of her too. She watches Bluish and writes her observations in a journal. Slowly, the two girls become good friends. But Dreenie still struggles with Bluish’s illness. Bluish is weak and frail but also wants to be independent and respected. How do you act around a girl like that? Bridge to Terabithia–A secret world of their own. Jess Aarons’ greatest ambition is to be the fastest runner in the fifth grade. He’s been practicing all summer and can’t wait to see his classmates’ faces when he beats them all. But on the first day of school a new girl boldly crosses over to the boys’ side of the playground and outruns everyone. That’s not a very promising beginning for a friendship, but Jess and Leslie Burke become inseparable. Leslie has imagination. Together, she and Jess create Terabithia, a magical kingdom in the woods where the two of them reign as king and queen, and their imaginations set the only limits. Then one morning a terrible tragedy occurs. Only when Jess is able to come to grips with this tragedy does he finally understand the strength and courage Leslie has given him. 1

Chocolate Fever–If there was one thing you could say about Henry it was that he surely did love chocolate, probably more than any boy in the history of the world. He liked it for breakfast, lunch and dinner – bitter, sweet, light, dark and daily. One day in the middle of Mrs. Kimmelfarber’s math class, Henry noticed something strange. There were brown spots all over him and more seemed to be popping up every minute. The doctors quickly diagnosed the problem: He had the first recorded case of Chocolate Fever. But Henry didn’t want to make medical history, so he ran out of the hospital and into a very strange adventure, one that really changed his ideas about chocolate and life. Frindle-Is Nick Allen a troublemaker? He really just likes to liven things up at school -- and he's always had plenty of great ideas. When Nick learns some interesting information about how words are created, suddenly he's got the inspiration for his best plan ever...the frindle. Who says a pen has to be called a pen? Why not call it a frindle? Things begin innocently enough as Nick gets his friends to use the new word. Then other people in town start saying frindle. Soon the school is in an uproar, and Nick has become a local hero. His teacher wants Nick to put an end to all this nonsense, but the funny thing is frindle doesn't belong to Nick anymore. The new word is spreading across the country, and there's nothing Nick can do to stop it. Keeper of the Doves – Who is the keeper? Amen McBee, the youngest of five sisters, gobbles up words the way other children gobble up sweets. She couldn’t be more different from her twin sisters Arabella and Annabella – called the Bellas. The mischievous Bellas constantly frighten Amen with stories of Mr. Tominski – the old recluse who lives in the woods nearby and mysteriously tends to a flock of doves. The Bellas insist that Mr. Tominski is a dangerous bogeyman who eats children whole, but Papa vows that the “keeper of the doves” wouldn’t hurt a soul. When tragedy strikes the family, Amen must decide once and for all who is right. Locomotion - Poetry in motion. When Lonnie Collins Motion – better known as Locomotion – was about seven years old, his life changed forever. Now his life is about to change again. His teacher is showing him ways to put his feelings on paper. And suddenly Lonnie has a whole new way to tell the world about his life, his little sister, and the fire that took his parents away. Nothing Wrong With a Three Legged Dog– Keath and his best friend, Lynda, are in the fourth grade. Some kids call Lynda Zebra , because her mother’s black and her father’s white. And Keath is Whitey. He’s vanilla in a chocolate school where Toothpick, a bully, has it in for him. Lynda and Keath both love dogs. When Keath grows up, he wants to be a golden retriever. Dogs don’t care about what color is the right one. Dogs don’t hate anybody. Keath’s favorite dog is Leftovers, Lynda’s three-legged beagle. When Leftovers got hurt, his first owners gave up on him, but Lynda and Keath turn him into a winner. Leftovers shows Keath that sometimes it’s good to stand out, to be special, and that even when you look different, there are ways to fit in. 2

Pictures of Hollis Woods–Hollis Woods is the place where a baby was abandoned; is the baby’s name; is an artist’ is now a twelve-year-old girl who’s been in so many foster homes she can hardly remember them all. Hollis Woods is a mountain of trouble. She runs away even from the Regans, the one family who offers her a home. When Hollis is sent to Josie, an elderly artist who is quirky and affectionate, she wants to stay. But Josie is growing more forgetful every day. If Social Services find out, they’ll take Hollis away and move Josie into a home. Well, Hollis Woods won’t let anyone separate them. She’s escaped the system before; this time, she’s taking Josie with her. Still, even as she plans her future with Josie, Hollis dreams of the past summer with the Regans, fixing each special moment of her days with them in pictures she’ll never forget. Patricia Reilly Giff captures the yearning for a place to belong in this warmhearted story, which stresses the importance of artistic vision, creativity, and above all, family. Planet Middle School– For twelve years, Joylin’s life was just fine, thank you very much. A rough game of basketball with the guys was all it took to put a smile on her dirt-smudged face. But then, overnight, her body starts changing without her permission. Suddenly boys are all she can think about. Where did these crazy ideas, like trying on dresses and batting her eyes, come from? And why can’t she stop thinking about Santiago? Does he even know she exists? Any day now, Joylin might become someone she doesn’t even know… or like. Then an accident takes more than just her breath away, and all the weirdness of life screams to a halt, as Joylin is reminded of what really matters and who her true friends are. Looking for love can be funny, embarrassing, and even downright yucky, and award-winning author Nikki Grimes captures it all brilliantly. Rules–I click my seatbelt across me and open my sketchbook to the back pages. That’s where I keep all the RULES I’m teaching David so if my someday-he’ll-wakeup-a-regular-brother wish doesn’t ever come true, he’ll know how the world works, and I won’t have to keep explaining things. RULES FOR DAVID if the bathroom door is closed knock (especially if Catherine has a friend over)! Say “thank you” when someone gives you a present (even if you don’t like it). Don’t stand in front of the TV when other people are watching it. A boy can take off his shirt to swim, but not his shorts. Some people think they know who you are, when really they don’t. No toys in the fish tank. The Hundred Dresses– Wanda wears the same faded blue dress to school every day – yet she says she has one hundred dresses at home, “all lined up.” The other girls don’t believe it, and when Peggy starts a daily game of teasing Wanda about the hundred dresses, everyone joins in. Maddie, Peggy’s best friend goes along with the game, but she secretly wonders whether she can find the courage to speak up in Wanda’s behalf. 3

It’s not until Wanda fails to come to school one day that her classmates learn the truth about the hundred dresses – and Maddie and Peggy learn the meaning of kindness and generosity of spirit. Eleanor Estes’s heartfelt story, a Newberry Honor Book and a beloved classic for more than sixty years, offers readers of all ages a timeless message of compassion and understanding. The Liberation of Gabriel King –Gabriel King was a born chicken. He’s afraid of spiders, corpses, loose cows and just about everything related to the fifth grade. Gabe’s best friend, Frita Wilson, thinks Gabe needs some liberating from his fears and she has a plan. They are going to spend the summer of 1976 facing each and every one of the fears on Gabe’s list. While Gabe can’t quite figure out how tackling every one of his fears will make him brave, (seems like more a recipe for certain death, if you ask him), maybe Frita knows what she is doing. But it turns out that Frita has her own list, and while she’s helping Gabe confront his fears, she’s avoiding the thing that scares her the most….. Award winning author, K. L. Going brings to life this powerful and poignant story of a summer of change for two unlikely friends. The Music of Dolphins– Mila creates headlines around the world when she is rescued from an unpopulated island off the coast of Florida. Now a teenager, she has been raised by dolphins from the age of four. Researchers teach Mila language and music. She learns, too, about rules and expectations, about locked doors and broken promises, disappointment and betrayal. The more Mila finds out what it means to be human, the more deeply she longs for her ocean home….. The One and Only Ivan - Ivan is an easygoing gorilla. Living in a shopping mall he has grown accustomed to humans watching him through the glass walls of his domain. He rarely misses his life in the jungle. In fact, he hardly ever thinks about it at all. Instead, Ivan thinks about television shows he’s seen, his friends Stella and Bob, and painting. Then he meets Ruby, a baby elephant taken from her family and she makes Ivan see their home, and his art, through new eyes. When Ruby arrives, change comes with her, and it’s up to Ivan to make it a change for the better. The Road to Paris - HOME IS A PAINFUL WORD TO SPELL Paris has been sent from one mean foster family to another, never feeling welcome, never fitting in. Having her brother by her side made it tolerable, but now the system has ripped them apart. When Paris moves in with the Lincolns, she expects the worst. This family is different, though. With daily acts of love and inclusion, the Lincolns slowly earn her trust and worm their way into her heart. She misses her brother, of course. And as a biracial girl in a predominantly white town, there are constant reminders of her outsider status. Still maybe, just maybe, Paris has finally 4

found a place she can call home. But the minute this possibility seems within reach, Paris is asked to make a difficult decision about where she truly belongs. The Skin I'm In–Maleeka suffers every day from the taunts of the other kids in her class. If they’re not getting at her about her homemade clothes or her good grades, it’s about her dark skin. When a new teacher, whose face is blotched with a startling white patch, shows up at their school, Maleeka can see there is bound to be trouble for her, too. But the new teacher’s attitude surprises Maleeka. Miss Saunders loves the skin she’s in. Can Maleeka learn to do the same? Toys Go Out–Lumphy is a stuffed buffalo. StingRay is a stuffed stingray. And Plastic…well, Plastic isn’t sure what she is. The three of them belong to the Little Girl who sleeps on the high bed. A very nice person to belong to. But beyond the Little Girl’s room, things can be confusing. Lumphy and his friends get covered in peanut butter, look things up in the dictionary, explore the basement, and argue about the meaning of life. Together, they face dogs, school, television commercials, and the terrifying bigness of the washing machine. And together, they must find the Little Girl a birthday present. These six linked stories showcase the ridiculous and touching adventures of three extraordinary friends. Vet Volunteers: A Fight for Life–Maggie has a mission. Maggie MacKenzie is great with dogs, but her homework is out of control. Dr. Mac, her veterinarian grandmother, puts her on a short leash until her grades improve. Four new volunteers show up to help Gran in the clinic, but none of them knows a boxer from a pug. When the clinic is flooded with sick and dying puppies, Maggie has to find a way to help, no matter what Gran says. Maggie is sure it can’t be a coincidence – somebody must be running a puppy mill. If she doesn’t find it soon, more puppies will die! Waiting for the Magic – People may drift apart, but love can hold them together. When William’s father leave s, his mother promptly goes out and adds four dogs and a cat to their lives. William’s sure that nothing can fill the hole left by his father, but the new additions to the family are determined to help, and with his sister Elinor, and his mother, William will learn that familycan come in all shapes and sizes. We Can't All Be Rattlesnakes–I am a snake. No, not a rattlesnake. I just look like one. I’m a gopher snake. One day an oily, filthy, fleshy human child crossed my path. As luck would have it, he knew the difference between a gopher snake and a rattlesnake. He has imprisoned me in a terrarium. His name is Gunnar. He calls me Crusher: he thinks I’m male. I’m not. He dropped in a dead mouse and hoped I’d eat it. I buried it. He then dropped in a live one, which he called “Breakfast.” I didn’t lay a coil on it. 5

Gunnar thinks I’ll be his adoring pet. He’s wrong. In fact, I am planning my escape. I may take Breakfast with me. Crusher will charm readers in this entertaining, clever novel about a snake in captivity and how she turns the tables on her human captor. Who was Dr. Seuss?– ___A boy who loved zoos and drawing silly animals; ___A college student voted “least likely to succeed”; ___An author and illustrator who changed children’s books forever; X All of the above. Find our more about the real Dr. Seuss in this fun and exciting illustrated biography!

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