Nancy H. Wood Library Blog

Four urban middle school students, their teacher, and other community members relate how a school project to build the world’s largest tetrahedron affects the lives of everyone involved.

In 17th century London, Coriander, a girl who has inherited magic from her mother, must find a way to use this magic in order to save both herself and an inhabitant of the fairy world where her mother was born.

Frustrated at her seeming lack of talent for anything, a young Taiwanese American girl sets out to apply the lessons of the Chinese Year of the Dog, those of making best friends and finding oneself, to her own life.

Three illustrated short stories about Martin’s school bus drivers, a friend’s pet hamster, and a model rocket project.

Comfort Snowberger is well acquainted with death since her family runs the funeral parlor in their small southern town, but even so the ten-year-old is unprepared for the series of heart-wrenching events that begins on the first day of Easter vacation with the sudden death of her beloved great-uncle Edisto.

When Logan fails to sincerely apologize after running into a mysterious man in the library, his punishment is that he is unable to stop speaking in puns and he must complete three quests using oxymorons, anagrams and palindromes to break the spell.

Reynie spends his days at the orphanage with his tutor, Mrs. Perumel, discussing the news and learning to speak Tamil. One day they discover an astonishing advertisement in the newspaper: “ARE YOU A GIFTED CHILD LOOKING FOR SPECIAL OPPORTUNITIES?” Once Mrs. Perumel convinces Reynie to take the test offered the next weekend, his adventures have just begun. Along with the nervous but knowledgeable Sticky, Kate (a girl who really did run away to join the circus!), and the incredibly stubborn Constance, these four kids undertake a task so adventurous and dangerous, readers will find the 512 pages flying by!
Recommended for: Lovers of The Westing Game and the Series of Unfortunate Events
If you liked this book, check out The Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler by E.L. Konigsburg.
Mrs. Bajema writes: This is my favorite MCBA book so far! I can’t see how another book could surpass it, but I’ll keep reading (And there’s a sequel, too!)

Brenton knows everything already: Judy gets straight A’s by spending all her time doing homework; Sam’s a new kid who acts up in class and would rather play video games; and Kelsey only does enough work to not have to repeat fifth grade next year. They are the last four kids you’d ever match up, but when their new (and rather naive) 5th grade teacher, Miss Rasmussen assigns them to sit at the same table for the whole year, they are unexpectedly brought together by a common interest: Brenton’s homework machine. Other kids get suspicious when the four head over the Brenton’s house after school, but the adults have no clue. Will Sam, Judy, Kelsey and Brenton really get away with having a machine do their homework?  This book is written in short statements, switching between all the main characters, which makes the reading go by quickly.

Who’s stealing from the Bluewingle and Sunrise tribes? The blue jays and cardinals of Stone-Run suspect each other and are ready to go to war together of the loss of berries, nuts, and worst of all, their own eggs. But what these former friends don’t know is that their troubles are actually the fault of the evil hawk Turnatt and his band of crow and raven soldiers, who want to capture the woodland birds and make them into slaves. Will the birds of Stone-Run realize what’s going on in time?
Recommended for: Readers of the Redwall and Guardian of Ga’Hoole series
Comment: Did you know that Nancy Yi Fan wrote this book when she was 12?!  That really makes this book an interesting one to read.  Maybe you, too, could write a story so fascinating.

Mrs. Bajema writes: There are so many ways I could try to describe Regarding the Trees, but after calling it “humor, kid-power, MCBA-book–2009, real-life, school wit, and written-in-letters”, I still somehow haven’t captured the nature of this book! It’s a hilarious, rollicking story told in letters, newspaper clippings, school projects, video transcripts, notes passed in class, and much more. Sure, the 6th graders in Mr. N’s class are on a mission to save the trees at Geyser Creek Middle School. But don’t forget all of the intentional misunderstandings, uncovering of a secret society, a boy-vs.-girl feud that extends all the way to the librarian (female) and the mayor (male), and an exploration of every possible word-play or meaning connected to trees! This really is a fabulous way to tell a story.

Recommended to me by Mr. Sforza

Recommended for: Everyone should take a look!