Kids Books - Skills

Dewey Kerrigan doesn’t exactly fit in. She builds radios and gadgets out of junk, and one of her legs is shorter than the other, so she walks funny. But she doesn’t really care. All she needs- and wants- is her father, a brilliant scientist who is off working on some secret government project. So when Dewey finally gets to go live with her father, she is excited, even though no one will tell her where she is going to live. Dewey arrives at the hill, where scientists from all over the country have gathered to work on a top secret government gadget to stop the war. Dewey loves that she is surrounded by geniuses, lives close to the dump for collecting junk, and best of all, lives with her father. And then there’s Suze, who longs to be accepted with other kids at the Hill, and makes fun of Dewey to gain favor. But Suze and Dewey have a lot more in common than they might think, and soon their friendship blossoms. And in the midst of a crisis and sorrow, who better to be there than a friend? I loved the way the author was able to make me feel sympathy for the character’s emotions and situation, and I couldn’t put the book down.

i love this book and want to read more but sadly they dont have the others in our school

Amelia bedelia makes A friend is A very good book why I love it is because they are sorta like the same things the problem in the story is so interesting I Like the way the problem is solved!my favorite part of the story is when they first meet that is why you should read this book!

A comedy isn’t about being funny...a comedy is about characters who dare to know that they may choose a happy ending after all.” Wednesday Wars, (p.262). The novel Wednesday Wars by Gary D. Schmidt, is a piece of realistic/historical fiction set in 1967-1968 on Long Island. It follows a 7th grade boy named Holling Hoodhood. Holling starts the 7th grade, and is immediately convinced that his teacher, Mrs. Baker, hates him. The book follows Holling through the ups and downs of the school year. A notable character in the book is Doug Swieteck, another kid in Holling’s class. Doug is shown to be a bit of a trouble maker, but Holling seems to be friends with him to some extent. This is shown when Holling states, “Doug Swieteck once made up a list of 410 ways to get a teacher to hate you… I think things became illegal around Number 167.” (p.1) Also, a notable event in the book is when Holling saves his sister from being hit by a bus. When Holling goes to the hospital Mrs. Baker and his principal seem to show more concern for him than his parents. This is illustrated by the text, “When Mrs. ‘Your father has spoken over the phone with the nurse at the front desk. He has given approval for any necessary procedure, and says that, since everything seems under control, he will be along as soon as may be convenient.’” (p.126) Despite that, the tone is generally light-hearted and humorous. Holling narrates in a way that reflects the ideas and perceptions of a typical 7th grader. For example, “Reading Shakespeare. Of all the strategies Mrs. Baker could have come with, this would be the worst. Teachers bring up Shakespeare only to bore students to death. And I was going to be bored to death for the next 8 months. No human being could stand it.” (p. 40) Lastly, one of the themes of the book seems to pertain to growing up and destiny. Holling's father has pretty much planned out what both his kids are going to do with their lives. He expects certain things of them, and expects them to go along with his plans. Holling's older sister, Heather, repeatedly tries to go against their father, but she rarely gets anywhere. Holling generally tries not to rock the boat, but this fact changes as the book goes on. And at nearly the end of the book, Holling has a conversation with his father that illustrates this. His family is leaving Danny's bar mitzvah, and Holling's dad makes a comment about it. Holling voices his disagreement on this comment, and his dad asks him to explain his point. They then have a short conversation about growing up and becoming a man. Holling disagrees with his father's views, but instead of backing away from the conversation, he stands his ground. Holling's father asks who Holling is, and Holling responds, " 'I don't know yet,' I said finally. 'I'll let you know.' " (p.261). This implies that Holling plans on figuring out his own future despite of what his father says. This theme of the book seems to be: "Even though life can be hard, you don't have to let it defeat you. You can choose your own destiny and it's possible to be alright." In conclusion, Wednesday Wars is a somewhat entertaining book. It should be read by anyone who has nothing better to do. Its contents include the light humor and slightly interesting characters of a typical middle-grade novel.

Mallory is struggling to get into the BSC. They make her do tests that nobody could pass! She makes a new friend, Jessi and wonders if she could just start her own club. I thought this book was okay. it wasn't my favorite, but it was okay. I would highly recommend reading this book instead of skipping to number 15 in the series. It might be a little confusing.

This was a very fun book by Jacqueline Wilson. Even though Tracy is very funny though, you can see that she protects herself with her humor, and often lies about her "glamorous" mom coming back for her one day. She says all sorts of things about her mom, like how she travels abroad lots and that's why she never has time for Tracy. You can tell that Tracy is mean to many of the other kids living in her foster home because she's jealous and upset that she can't have what they have, like outings with their parents. I think this book is very good to help kids practice seeing things from someone else's point of view more!

I love this book! This is based on a true story about the author herself, Patricia Polacco. Trisha has trouble reading. She could not read until she was in 5th grade. All the kids made fun of her and teased her. When her teachers would call on her to read aloud, they would have to help her with every word. She was bullied. Every day. She started not believing herself. But one teacher named Mr. Falker believes in her. He helps her and encourages her to overcome her reading disability. He teaches her that she CAN overcome her disability. And Patricia Polacco will NEVER forget him. Enjoy reading, and have a great day! ~AlphaWolf13

Sunshine or "Sunny" is undergoing a heart transplant. She's going to die. Atleast, for a few seconds, or a few minutes, maybe even longer. She plans to become the "new sunny" after her heart transplant. After all doesn't that make her a new person? The first time she went to the beach, well, not the first but she hasn't been in a long time. She meets Quinn, who she immediately likes. Then, things in Sunny's life drastically change. Her mother appears again. After what seems like so long. 8 years. She is so mad, confused, excited, nervous, she feels like her heart will burst. Then comes the tangle. He quest to find a boy fails, he mother has another child, she is growing distant from Kate, the "mother" who took care of her, almost all her life. Then comes the mess, but not the mess you normally think about. A beautiful mess. Her.

This is about a mean snake haired girl at MO Academy. She wants to be immortal and be a goddess and buys an expensive necklace which is rumored to make mortals magic goddesses. But she sets her heart on it even if there are sign that make it fake. Will medusa find its fake or true? I won't say. Just read it!!!

I like this book. I've read a lot of Ivy and Bean books. Ivy and Bean want $10 to buy a special cheese. They want this cheese because it has a special wax kind of coating that is fun to play with. So to get $10 they write and sell newspapers for $1 each.