Matilda Wormwood is a very intelligent girl. However, no one notices, certainly not her parents, who are far too preoccupied with their own lives. From the time she was four, Matilda has spent hours alone at the library, teaching herself to read, finishing all the children's books, and then moving through titles recommended by the librarian. When she goes to school, she is ready to fly. Her teacher knows it, the other kids know it, but Miss Trunchbull, the oppressive head of the school, will have none of it. Trunchbull's time is devoted to suppressing any creativity or enthusiasm displayed by students, and faculty. Can Matilda survive Miss Trunchbull?

Awards won: Rebecca Caudill Award

Reviewed by: sc

Date read: 3/27/2009

ISBN-10: 0142410373

ISBN-13: 9780142410370

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Commenter: St. Charles Reader, grade 0

Steve's pretty sure his best friend, Max, will be skeptical of his fully-guaranteed time machine, which Steve purchased for $2.50 from a neighbor's garage sale. After all, Steve's grand plans almost never turn out the way he expects, and Max has to deal with the consequences. With some quick talking, though, Max agrees to come along for the ride. After they assemble the machine, they decide to give it a try, even though it looks like 'a giant jelly-bean dispenser from outer space.' Their first experiment lands Steve in the body of Sir Robert in England in 1250 as he is about to compete in a jousting tournament against a bitter rival. Where is Max? Will they survive the trip?

Reviewed by: emc

Date read: 4/9/2010

ISBN-10: 0064402223

ISBN-13: 9780064402224

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When Max Malone reads a newspaper article about a boy who gets rich selling homemade chocolate-chip cookies, his friend Gordy and he plan different ways to make their own million. Unfortunately, their get-rich-quick schemes turn out to be disasters as their cookies come out like giant pancakes and their lemonade tastes sour. What are Max and Gordy doing wrong?

Reviewed by: sc

Date read: 3/27/2009

ISBN-10: 0805013741

ISBN-13: 9780805013740

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Rick, a fourteen-year-old foster child, escapes from a juvenile detention facility near Las Vegas, and travels to Canyonlands National Park in Utah, where he meets a biologist working on a project to reintroduce condors to the wild.

Reviewed by: sc

Date read: 3/25/2009

ISBN-10: 038072913X

ISBN-13: 9780380729135

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Amy and Dan are invited, by golden invitation, to the reading of their beloved Grandma Grace's will. Instead of inheriting her mansion and wealth, they are asked to choose between a million dollar check and the chance to play a game that could make them the most powerful people in history. Of course they choose the game, along with 12 other family members who will do anything to win. Each book in this series is written by a different author. Maze of Bones is followed by One False Note by popular author Gordon Korman.

Reviewed by: caroll

Date read: 7/28/2009

ISBN-10: 0545090547

ISBN-13: 9780545090544

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Commenter: Grace, grade 5