Julian is great story teller. He can make people believe just about anything. His little brother, Huey, hears a lot of these stories. There's the one about the cats that come in the mail. And the one about growing taller if you eat leaves right off the tree. Some stories are just plain trouble, which is where Julian and Huey end up, a lot!

Reviewed by: sc

Date read: 4/29/2009

ISBN-10: 0394943015

ISBN-13: 9780394943015

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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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This book counts down to a big girl's bedtime with warm, soothing illustrations. With one number on each two-page spread, beginning with '10 small toes all washed and warm,' and '9 soft friends in a quiet room,' and ending with '1 big girl all ready for bed,' the gentle, rhyming text takes readers through a bedtime routine. This is a good selection for even the youngest listeners, but older listeners learning to count can count the objects, like the nine soft friends (which are the girl's stuffed animals and her pet cat). This is a great calming choice for a story right before bed.

Awards won: Caldecott Honor 1984

Reviewed by: emc

Date read: 6/24/2010

ISBN-10: 0688009069

ISBN-13: 9780688009069

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Fifteen-year-old Cole Matthews has been angry his whole life, and he takes his anger out on everyone around him. When he faces prison time for beating up a fellow student, he sees 'Circle Justice' as a way to beat the system. A Native American tradition, 'Circle Justice' attempts to heal the offender, the victim, and the community. When the Circle decides Cole's punishment will be one year alone on a remote Alaskan island, Cole figures he will simply swim away. He burns his shelter and supplies, is mauled by a large white 'spirit bear', and is nearly killed. When he is finally rescued, he spends 6 months in the hospital. Upon his release, Cole must convince the court and the 'Circle' that he has truly repented. Will Cole take responsibility for his actions? Will he ever return to the island? Can he help the student he beat up?

Similar authors: Gary Paulsen, Will Hobbs

Awards nominated: Rebecca Caudill Nominee 2004

Reviewed by: donna

Date read: 6/28/2011

ISBN-10: 0380977443

ISBN-13: 9780380977444

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Some readers may find this book unbelievable, worthless, or unideal for kids. It is worth reading for preteens through adults (me) because many aspects of it could be true. The reader needs to be able to distinguish what is right and wrong and understand about lying and stealing. It is based in an unnamed third world country roughly based on Smokey Mountain in the Manila, Phillipines. Trash is and has been thrown on the mountain for many, many years. The stench and its related senses are written about in a way that makes them seem real. Gardo, Raphael and Rat have houses built in the pile and a mission school is set up near the trash pile which is an important part of the story. After finding a wallet with a key in it while they are foraging for items to sell, a mystery presents itself to be solved. With alacrity the boys set about doing this through twists and turns that are exciting, scary and finally resolved.

Awards nominated: 2013 Rebecca Caudill Nominee

Reviewed by: cjones

Date read: 4/16/2012

ISBN-10: 0385752156

ISBN-13: 9780385752152

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