Can you imagine how you would feel if you were tricked into selling your most valuable baseball card by a mean collector? Griffin Bing had this happen to him and he is not about to stand still until he recaptures the card. He and two of his buddies, all misfits of some kind or other, try to recover the card, but must go through several challenges to do so. Griffin is known as 'The Man with a Plan' so through his various 'PLANS' you find out if he is able to retrieve the Babe Ruth baseball card which he found in an old dilapidated house that was being torn down.

Awards nominated: Bluestem Nominee 2012

Reviewed by: cjones

Date read: 4/18/2011

ISBN-10: 0439903459

ISBN-13: 9780439903455

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Everyone knows the tale of Hansel & Gretel but this one is quite different and certainly reads as the title forecasts, as dark and Grimm. Yes, the familiar story is there but the twists and turns are most unexpected and take you down paths that are somewhat reminiscent of other Grimm tales. Quirky, scary and funny, this tale has deep truths and remarkable vision into the heart and soul of people of all ages. Companion book: In a Glass Grimmly with another title to be released in October 2013.

Similar authors: Lemony Snickett; Michael Buckley

Similar books: The Sisters Grimm series and the Series of Unfortunate Events.

Awards nominated: Rebecca Caudill Award

Awards nominated: 2014 Rebecca Caudill Nominee

Reviewed by: adf

Date read: 2/19/2013

ISBN-10: 0525423346

ISBN-13: 9780525423348

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This story is based on a trickster tale about Tricky Fox. Tricky brags to Brother Fox that stealing chickens is too easy: he is going to steal a pig. Brother Fox makes a bet that Tricky can't do it, and the game is afoot. Tricky starts by putting a log in an old sack. He waits until evening and then knocks on an old lady's door. He tells her how old and tired he is and asks to spend the night. When she lets him in, he makes a big deal over how worried he is that someone will touch his sack. She promises to watch the sack for him, but true to human nature, she can't help but take a peak. The next morning, the fox starts exclaiming that someone stole his loaf of bread and replaced it with an old log. The woman does not want to admit that she had looked in the sack, so she calms him by giving him a loaf of bread from her own pantry. Tricky Fox then repeats this trick several nights in a row, trading up to a chicken and finally the pig that he is after. But the last little old lady has a trick of her own to play on dear Tricky Fox.

Reviewed by: sc

Date read: 6/29/2009

ISBN-10: 0439095433

ISBN-13: 9780439095433

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Peter's little brother, Fudge, gets away with everything. Fudge refuses to eat, so their mom lets him eat on the floor while pretending to be a dog. Not long before, she made Peter stand on his head to try to coax Fudge into eating. There's no doubt about it, Fudge is the one who matters in this family. Can Peter ever get his parents to notice him, or will he remain a fourth grade nothing? If you like this one, look for other books starring Peter and Fudge.

Reviewed by: emc

Date read: 4/23/2010

ISBN-10: 0525469311

ISBN-13: 9780525469315

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Jamilah just wants to blend in at her school in Australia, so she changes her name to Jamie and dyes her hair blond, hoping her Lebanese-Muslim background will not be discovered. Her new email friend John is the one person she can open up to, but will she be able to when she actually meets him? When her Arabic-music band is hired to play at her school dance, she needs to decide who she is ' Jamie or Jamilah?

Similar books: Does My Head Look Big in This? by Randa Abdel-Fattah

Reviewed by: donna

Date read: 6/29/2010

ISBN-10: 0545050553

ISBN-13: 9780545050555

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