When Friendship Followed Me Home is a story about friendship and growing up. Ben Coffin spent many years in the foster care system. Finally finding a home to call his own, his life progresses steadily. He mostly keeps to himself and enjoys spending time at the local library. Books are his friends; the library his domain. The librarian knows his reading preferences and suggests books to check out. One day, a small dog follows Ben into the library and then home. On that same day, Ben meets the most amazing girl he has ever met, Halley – like the comet. A friendship blooms and a creative partnership is born. Together Ben and Halley embark on a journey to write a story. Then, when life is progressing smoothly, Ben’s adoptive mother dies, Ben and his four-legged friend, Flip, find themselves living with his aunt and her husband. Unfortunately, this is not an ideal situation as Leo doesn’t have the temperament to be a father. Halley’s family ends up opening their home and hearts to Ben and Flip.The relationship that develops between Ben and Halley’s family is heartwarming. Halley is sick, and the Lorentz’ are struggling with Halley’s physical decline. Ben learns that unlike writing a story, you cannot write a new ending to life. You can, however, choose your path and the people you call family. This was a touching story that is a great choice for realistic fiction lovers.
Author Archives: SSBRC Former Member
Lost in the Pacific, 1942
Lost in the Pacific, 1942 retells a story of survival at sea during the second World War. The year was 1942, and the US was in heated battle with Japan for control of the Pacific ocean. This nonfiction survival and suspense story retells the events that led to the crash landing of a B-17 bomber into the Pacific ocean and the attempted survival and rescue of the crew and VIP passengers. This page turner provides facts about the aircraft, the crew, and the events both before and after the crash. The book is put together in a manner that makes it easy to follow and understand. Features include: table of contents, cast of characters – complete with photos of crew and passengers, maps and photos for historical context, glossary, author’s note and sources.
Willows vs. Wolverines
Izzy and Mackenzie have been best friends since they were little kids, and they have spent every summer together at camp. This summer the two girls go to a new camp where they have to make all new friends. On top of that, they are each assigned to different cabins. Izzy wants to fit in and be popular. She worries about Mackenzie but is more worried about being noticed by her new friends. Izzy soon learns that her cabin is in a time honored prank war with the Wolverine cabin. Izzy has a history of being a prank master, but none of her new cabin-mates are interested in her ideas. Then Izzy tells a small lie to gain the trust and respect of the rest of her cabin.This lie does the job, but it grows day by day and becomes a black cloud that, predictably, comes between both her new friendships and the long standing friendship with Mackenzie. Izzy learns an important lesson about trust and friendship. The plot is simple, characters are reflective of the age group represented, and the resolution is predictable. Readers who compare the cover image to the story will be disappointed – while the scene comes from the story, the accuracy of details is a miss.
10 Fascinating Facts About Chewing Gum
This Rookie Star Fact Finder book will draw young readers into reading non fiction. The front cover immediately captures your attention using a pink bubble gum-colored background with a wide-eyed boy’s lower face hidden behind a big pink bubble of gum.
The Table of Contents states an abbreviated list of the 10 facts as section titles. The ten facts include gums’: origin, quantity of flavors, health aspects, energy, and gum used in art.
The health aspect has to do with an increase in the amount of saliva created when chewing gum and its calming effect on people. According to this book do not believe the old wives tale about swallowed gum staying in your stomach.
The side bar in each section is quite entertaining/ informative, as well, such as the Guinness World Record for most people chewing gum at one time, on page 15.
There is an activity on pages 26-27 that could be used for a school science fair project. This is followed by a timeline, a glossary, index, and a Scholastic web site with more information on chewing gum.
Shabbat Hiccups
This is a gentle story about a Jewish family’s weekly Sabbath ritual. The flavor of the ritual comes alive in the artwork of Ilana Exelby and in the few distinctly Jewish words used. This book will fit into your diversity collection.
As Jonah’s family prepares for Shabbat on Friday evening, Jonah suddenly comes down with a case of hiccups that will not go away. Jonah’s sister, Eden, tries to scare the hiccups away. Grandma Sue tries to rid Jonah of the hiccups by first using a spoonful of sugar. When that does not work, she has Jonah try drinking water. Nothing works. On Saturday evening, the family goes for a walk to see the first stars of the night, but the hiccups continue. The family returns home for the closing Havdalah, when finally Jonah’s hiccups stop. Then, the quiet is broken not by Jonah’s hiccups, but by Grandma Sue’s.
Wolf Hollow
In this historical fiction, we meet two young girls who are as different as night and day living in rural Pennsylvania in 1943. Annabelle is a sweet, responsible, compassionate twelve year old who lives with her parents, grand parents, aunt, and siblings on the family farm. Betty Glengarry, an older girl, moves to town to live with her grandparents. Annabelle and Betty have many run-ins and each run-in escalates with Betty revealing herself to be more and more of a bully. Annabelle typically would turn to her family for help, but since she is getting older, she attempts to handle the situation on her own. One day, Betty plays a nasty trick on Annabelle and her brothers and Toby, a WWI veteran, intervenes. Toby lives alone and is a wanderer. He isn’t from Wolf Hollow and few people know much about him. Living a life of solitude, he soon finds himself on the cruel end of Betty’s antics. Annabelle must find the courage to stand up for what she believes and speak the truth about Betty’s actions. Life lessons are not always sweet and charming, as Annabelle learns, some lessons are heartfelt and bitter.Highly recommended.
The Playbook: 52 Rules to Aim, Shoot, and Score in This Game Called Life
Kwame makes a slam dunk with this Playbook. Fans of The Crossover and Booked will be lined up to read The Playbook. While this is not a work of fiction, there are many stories about Kwame’s life and the lives of other athletes told throughout the book. Every detail of the book is well thought out. The physical appearance of the book will engage readers – they will appreciate the textured pages, imagery and photos, and the color used throughout. Sports enthusiasts will appreciate the layout of the book as it is set up like a sports game complete with quarters, half time, and overtime. Kwame is engaging and authentic. Kids will know that the 52 rules presented throughout the book come from Kwame’s heart. A must purchase for middle school libraries.
Fish Girl
The story takes place on the oceanfront, in a tourist attraction called Ocean Wonders. Visitors pay to see wonders from the ocean including a possible glimpse of “Fish Girl”. Neptune, God of the seas, manages the boardwalk aquarium. Fish Girl does not know that Neptune is a businessman nor that Ocean Wonders is a business. To her, it is her home. Fish Girl starts to question many things about her existence, life in the aquarium, and Neptune’s rules. She wants to be free – free to come and go, free to experience life beyond the glass walls of the aquarium, and free to be seen. She learns the truth about the man who calls himself Neptune and how all of the sea creatures came to be in their glass prison. She wants something different for herself and her underwater family. To get what she wants, she must defy Neptune. In her journey, Fish Girl learns to question. Answers to her questions lead to change – she will no longer be a prisoner in Neptune’s glass kingdom and nor will her underwater friends and family.
Charlotte the Scientist is Squished
This book is a fun way of introducing elementary students to the scientific method. Plus, it teaches – if at first you do not succeed, try, try, again.
“Charlotte solved problems by conducting experiments that followed the scientific method.” Charlotte found herself squished with too many little bunnies [genius on the part of illustrator Brianne Farley] around for her to be able to find room, time, and equipment to work on experiments at home. Charlotte used the scientific method to help her solve her problem. First- she asked a question, second- she formed a hypothesis, third- she tested her hypothesis with an experiment or two, fourth- she made and recorded her observations, and fifth- she drew her conclusions. Charlotte’s question has her screaming, ” ‘ How can I get some space around here?’ ‘ Charlotte’s hypothesis has her writing down,” ‘ If I can get rid of my brothers and sisters, I will have room to be a real scientist.’ ” Charlotte’s experiment does not work, so she tries to make herself disappear. That does not work either. Then Charlotte determines she should go into space to get the space she needs. [One carrot-shaped space ship appears thanks to Brianne Farley.] Charlotte is happy with all the space she now has! Her hypothesis was correct. Her conclusion confirms it, but now she is lonely. Back to step 2- writing a new hypothesis. ” ‘ If I can have friends in space THEN I won’t be lonely, and I can be a real scientist.’ ” The chocolate bunnies were too delicious, the bunny-shaped balloons floated away, “and the robot bunnies were poor conversationalists…she tried one last experiment”. Charlotte’s conclusion – go back to Earth and just get her own space for her experiments, in her case, Charlotte used her space ship for the space she needed.
The last two pages include a review of the scientific method with helpful tips for each of the 5 steps. PLUS, there is an address (both- pencil/ paper and email) for young school-aged scientists to send Charlotte their experiments using the scientific method to tell her all about it.
Revenge of the Green Banana
Revenge of the Green Banana reads like a memoir and many aspects of the fictional tale are true, but the book is considered a work of fiction – historical, humorous, and realistic. The story begins in 1958 with Jim Murphy beginning the sixth grade. He is determined that this year will be different than all of the others. This year, he will change his ways and become a serious student who is dedicated to academic excellence. Unfortunately, the teachers at St. Stephen’s Catholic School are not privy to Jim’s transformation. Jim finds himself a student in Sister Angelica’s class. Jim soon learns that Sister Angelica has a file on him and a chip on her shoulder. Jim’s journey into academic and social excellence is short lived and quickly transforms into a revenge plot to destroy his new teacher. Along the journey of revenge, Jim learns important life lessons both in and out of school. He soon questions his desire to destroy this new teacher and isn’t sure how to change the course of action. Kids will get a nice chuckle out of this book.