When Isabel learns of a baking contest where the finalists win a trip to New York City, she's thrilled. Isabel would love to travel, but she's never even had the chance to get on an airplane. At the same time, her mom is opening a cupcake shop. With the chaos of her family starting a business, will Isabel be able to submit a winning recipe and fulfill her dream of travel?

Reviewed by: emc

Date read: 4/14/2011

ISBN-10: 1416990844

ISBN-13: 9781416990840

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It all starts when Bean tries to play a trick on her older sister Nancy. When Nancy threatens to tell on Bean, Bean runs away. She ends up running to the house across the street where a girl name Ivy lives. Ivy and Bean(who are both 7) become fast friends and together they create a spell to cast on Nancy. Join Ivy and Bean as they begin their fun adventures together.

Awards nominated: Bluestem Award 2011

Reviewed by: jb

Date read: 5/18/2010

ISBN-10: 0811849031

ISBN-13: 9780811849036

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Jack Bolt is alone in bed in the middle of the night when he hears strange noises. All of a sudden, a knife begins slicing through his wall, making a hole. When men come through the opening, both Jack and the men are shocked to meet each other. The men are bizarrely dressed, speak oddly, and keep saying Jack's room is above the pigs. It turns out that the men are highwaymen, robbers from the 18th century (1752), and they have somehow found a way to travel forward in time. When they want to store their loot in Jack's room, he agrees. He discovers that he can travel back in time through the same door, and soon he is recruited as a part of the highwaymen's gang. Jack is in for the adventure of a lifetime.

Reviewed by: emc

Date read: 4/16/2010

ISBN-10: 1599900904

ISBN-13: 9781599900902

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A picture book about gardening for young children, this book spins a tale similar to the famous 'House that Jack Built,' but using a garden. 'This is the garden that Jack planted. This is the soil that made up the garden that Jack planted.' Throughout the book are pictures of the garden, the tools used in the garden, and the environmental particulars like the insects around the garden. Whenever a specific insect, seed, plant or tool is pictured, it is labeled with its name. While very young children may not understand the development of the story, the rhythm of the text and the pictures make this a wonderful introduction to gardening for young people.

Reviewed by: emc

Date read: 10/28/2010

ISBN-10: 0688135013

ISBN-13: 9780688135010

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While accompanying his father on an expedition up the Amazon River to a jaguar preserve in Brazil, Jacob must contend with dangerous animals, and fortune hunters.

Reviewed by: sc

Date read: 3/25/2009

ISBN-10: 0786813121

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