Like a typical 16-year old, Amal has a crush on a cute boy, likes giggling and eating junk food with her friends, and fights with her parents. She is also an Australian-born Muslim Palestinian and has decided to wear the hijab, the Muslim head-scarf, full time. What will her classmates say? What color scarf best sets off her eyes? Both questions are equally important to Amal. Thought-provoking and funny at the same time, this first novel examines faith, culture, and serious teen issues with style and wit.

Reviewed by: donna

Date read: 10/26/2009

ISBN-10: 0439919479

ISBN-13: 9780439919470

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Ever since her best friend moved away, things have been hard for Erika. She loves her family's three dogs, but since a field trip last year, a popular girl named Kyla has been making fun of her for them. Kyla said their family's van smelled, and after that she called Erika's house a 'dog house.' After that, everyone started calling Erika 'dog girl,' and it wasn't a compliment. Erika's hopeful that things might be different this year in sixth grade. Her best friend is still gone, but there's a cool new girl in class named Mercedes who doesn't know yet about Erika's status as 'dog girl.' Can Erika find a way to make friends with Mercedes before Kyla turns Mercedes against her?

Reviewed by: emc

Date read: 4/30/2010

ISBN-10: 1551433605

ISBN-13: 9781551433608

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Gordie loves being in third grade with his best friend, Lamont. Then, two things happen: his teacher tells the class they'll be putting on a talent show, and a new kid named Red joins the class. Suddenly, Gordie is lost. He doesn't have a talent, and Lamont seems to want to be Red's best friend instead of Gordie's friend. Can Gordie wow the class with a talent and win back his best friend?

Similar books: Third Grade Stinks! by McKenna Third Grade Ghouls by McKenna Third Grade Wedding Bells? by McKenna

Reviewed by: emc

Date read: 12/31/2009

ISBN-10: 0823416968

ISBN-13: 9780823416967

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Mitchell is not thrilled to be in the police station, and he's definitely not thrilled that he'll spend every Tuesday and Thursday afternoon there, chatting online with a nursing home resident. After all, while he feels sorry that his elderly neighbor was injured as a result of a prank, it wasn't his fault. He's only being punished because Trotter, the one truly at fault, ran away, leaving Mitchell to deal with the consequences. So he's at the police station, forced to make conversation with a stranger. He braces himself for lectures about the 'good old days.' Wootie, the nursing home resident he meets online, however, is outspoken and easy to like. Mitchell finds himself confiding in her, and he slowly comes to terms with what really happened that day. This is a brief, enjoyable tale of facing up to the truth of one's problems and learning to solve them.

Reviewed by: emc

Date read: 1/25/2010

ISBN-10: 0807559598

ISBN-13: 9780807559598

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Zoe's devastated to be leaving her home and her best friend. A new family is moving into her house, and Zoe has to say goodbye to the place she calls her 'dreamroom,' the one place she can be alone to draw. Her family takes off on a trip in their van, traveling from town to town until her parents find work. When her parents find jobs, however, they won't have enough money for rent until they've been working for a while. So the family lives in the van, where Zoe has no privacy. Keeping the secret that her family is homeless isn't easy. A police car keeps following Zoe around, and Zoe's friend Aliya is getting upset that Zoe never invites Aliya to her house. Can Zoe keep her big secret until her family finds a place to live? Will Zoe ever find a place that feels like home again?

Reviewed by: emc

Date read: 3/30/2010

ISBN-10: 0689856040

ISBN-13: 9780689856044

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