“The Fruit Bowl Project” by Sarah Durkee is an unusual book about a class writing project motivated by a famous rock star.
When the kids in Ms. Vallis’ eighth grade writer’s workshop learn that rock superstar Nick Thompson is come to speak with them they are thrilled. Suddenly writing seems a lot more exciting.
When the day finally comes and Nick Thompson actually walks in the classroom door it seems too good to be true. Of course the kids have a lot of questions about Nick’s music career and other subjects, and Nick answers them. But then he guides the kids back to the subject at hand: writing. Read the rest »
VN:F [1.6.6_911]
Rating: 4.0/5 (5 votes cast)
“Zen and the Art of Faking It” by Jordan Sonnenblick is a realistic fiction novel about a boy who invents a better personality for himself so that he can be popular at his new school.
San Lee has a lot of experience with blending in. His family moves quite regularly, and at each school San Lee gets a chance to build a new identity so that he can blend in with the pack. In California he was a skater. In Houston he was a rich preppy kid. In Germany he was a pretend-jock. But now San Lee is in a new place: a small town in Pennsylvania. And he is also facing a new situation: his family is no longer rich. His father is now in jail, busted for embezzling funds and cheating people in numerous states. Read the rest »
VN:F [1.6.6_911]
Rating: 4.4/5 (7 votes cast)
“It’s a Mall World After All” by Janette Rallison is a humorous novel about a teenage girl and how her job at the local mall ends up changing her life.
Charlotte works in a department store at the local mall. She sprays customers with free perfume samples and tries to get them to buy the latest popular perfume. It’s not exactly a glamorous job, but it is a way to make money. In addition, her spot right near the department store door is a great lookout point to watch for cute boys. Read the rest »
VN:F [1.6.6_911]
Rating: 3.8/5 (4 votes cast)
“Welcome Home or Someplace Like It,” by Charlotte Agell is a realistic fiction novel about a young girl who finds herself living with her grandfather in a small town in Maine.
Aggie B. Wing and her brother Thorne aren’t particularly excited about moving to Maine. After living in Port Chester, New York they are sure that Maine will be rather dull in comparison. But their famous mother, a writer of romance novels, is determined to drop them off for the summer to live with their ninety-one-year-old grandfather.
Ludwig, Maine has a population of 159 and one general store with a sign that says “Ardis’s Quikstop.” Read the rest »
VN:F [1.6.6_911]
Rating: 2.0/5 (2 votes cast)
“Burn,” by Suzanne Phillips is a powerful realistic fiction novel about a boy who is being bullied at school.
Cameron Grady is a high school freshman. Once he used to get good grades, and he had friends at school. Now he finds it hard just to work up the nerve to go to school at all. Teachers pester him about missed assignments and failing grades, but none of these things matter to Cameron. He is far more worried about avoiding being bullied.
It all started when Cameron began ninth grade. One small but deadly mistake destroyed his school reputation forever. Read the rest »
VN:F [1.6.6_911]
Rating: 4.7/5 (3 votes cast)
