A beautiful butterfly chooses a mouse for her husband because of his sweet singing voice. One day, she sends him to the local pond to bring home water. While pulling up the bucket, he accidentally falls into the water and is swallowed by a fish. She mourns her loss by sitting at the edge of the pond until a king in his underwear causes everyone to laugh so wildly that the fish coughs up her husband and the two are reunited. The illustrations by Victoria Chess are beautifully done with warm lovable characters and bright colors.

Reviewed by: rn

Date read: 7/30/2010

ISBN-10: 0395900158

ISBN-13: 9780395900154

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A luscious retelling of the classic tale, set the early 1900s. Beauty lives with her father and two older sisters, Vanessa and Mona, in New York City. Their father is a rich merchant, until his ships are lost at sea and they must sell everything. They move upstate to a tumble-down farmhouse. 'Pretty girls are a dime a dozen. Beauty is much rarer than you might suppose.' A delightful read rich in detail and full of magic.

Similar books: Beauty, a Retelling by Robin McKinley

Reviewed by: donna

Date read: 8/16/2010

ISBN-10: 0152060529

ISBN-13: 9780152060527

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Anya lives in fear that her classmates will discover she's wearing a wig. A few months ago, her hair started falling out. She found out she has a medical condition that makes her lose her hair, and it might never grow back. Now, Anya has to wear a wig. She thinks no one has noticed yet, but the truth is that the bossiest girl in class, Stef, has noticed, and Stef is pushing her friends to tug Anya's wig to see if it's real. Stef's friend, Keely, has always felt like the underdog in her group of friends, but when she believes Stef is behind the dramatic unveiling of Anya's bald head in gym class, Keely can't follow along any longer. Will Keely find a way to stand up to Stef without losing all her friends? Can Anya come to terms with the fact that she may never have hair again?

Reviewed by: emc

Date read: 1/15/2010

ISBN-10: 0689832982

ISBN-13: 9780689832987

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Peter thinks he has hit the jackpot this year. Their fifth grade teacher is a rookie. He can surely get away with anything. However, Mr. Terupt surprises him. He doesn't seem to be able to get away with anything. Mr. Terupt touches the lives and the hearts of each of seven 5th graders, but when a tragic accident happens, they are in danger of losing him forever. Can the fifth grade class pull together and support each other in the face of crisis? Just maybe, because of Mr. Terupt.

Similar books: A View From Saturday by E.L. Konigsburg

Awards nominated: 2013 Bluestem Nominee

Reviewed by: caroll

Date read: 5/1/2012

ISBN-10: 0375858245

ISBN-13: 9780375858246

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A girl named India Opal Buloni finds a dog and they have adventures and more sad and funny surprises than you could ever imagine.

Awards nominated: 2014 Bluestem Nominee

Awards won: Newbery Honor

Reviewed by: St. Charles Reader

Date read: 11/6/2009

ISBN-10: 0763616052

ISBN-13: 9780763616052

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Commenter: Emily, grade 18