Fourteen-year-old Jackson is talked into running his neighbor Mrs. Nelson's apple orchard. The proposal that Mrs. Nelson comes up with is unusual; if Jackson can make at least $8,000 selling the apples, then she will let him keep whatever else he earns and will also give him the deed to the land. Can a boy with no farming experience manage an orchard? And can he persuade his younger sisters and cousins to be his farmhands? Set in 1980's New Mexico, this gentle coming-of-age story starts a bit slowly, but the interest level builds as Jackson deals with one farming challenge after another to produce the crop. The information about farming (including illustrations of things like tractors and irrigation systems) will appeal to some readers more than others.

Awards nominated: 2013 Rebecca Caudill Nominee

Reviewed by: msp

Date read: 4/26/2012

ISBN-10: 0547279779

ISBN-13: 9780547279770

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Fred (short for Frederika) knows the new teacher won't last long in her small Alaskan town. Not many people can handle teaching in this cold, isolated place where all the kids smell strongly of fish, and the town's one teacher often resigns before the end of the school year. When Miss Agnes arrives wearing pants, which is unheard-of for a woman in this town in 1948, she causes a stir. She does other strange things, like playing opera during class time, covering the school house walls with pictures, and insisting that Fred's sister, Bokko, who cannot hear, should come to school, too. Suddenly, Fred and her classmates are exploring possibilities they never knew existed.

Reviewed by: emc

Date read: 2/11/2010

ISBN-10: 0689829337

ISBN-13: 9780689829338

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What do FBI agents, nuclear bombs, and horror movies have in common? In 1950's Sierra Madre, CA, four boys get pulled into an exciting adventure when the horror movie Invasion of the Body Snatchers is being filmed in their hometown. Things get more complicated when they realize that undercover FBI agents are investigating people (including real-life scientist Richard Feynman) that they think might be involved in selling secrets to the Soviet Union. The boys try to help in the investigation, but discover that things are more complicated than they first appear. The main characters of the boys are fictional, but Invasion of the Body Snatchers was a real movie and most of the other characters are based on actual people.

Reviewed by: msp

Date read: 10/23/2009

ISBN-10: 1416958924

ISBN-13: 9781416958925

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This first chapter book by picture book author Grace Lin is part fiction and part memoir. Second grade, Taiwanese-American, Pacy is excited to be celebrating the Chinese New Year holiday 'year of the dog' with her family. It is known to be a special year for family, friends and finding yourself and your abilities. During the year, she does make a new best friend, enter a science fair, play a Munckin in the Wizard of Oz and win fourth place in a national writing contest with her entry The Ugly Vegetables. The anecdotes related by her parents help Pacy, (known as Grace at school) connect with her Taiwanese heritage, give her insight into their lives as children in Taiwan and give her a solid basis for problem solving. The delightful line drawings add to the story's appeal. Follow the instructions on page 2 and you can learn to make a dog out of the number 5!

Awards nominated: Bluestem Nominee 2011

Reviewed by: ellen lundell

Date read: 4/26/2010

ISBN-10: 0316060003

ISBN-13: 9780316060004

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A young English man who likes to gamble and stay out late is thrown onto a ship and taken to America in 1777. He is recruited to spy on Benjamin Franklin. Will he become a spy?

Reviewed by: St. Charles Reader

Date read: 11/20/2009

ISBN-10: 0525469214

ISBN-13: 9780525469216

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