Mark Twain Nominee
by Elise Broach I wish this book existed when I was in fifth grade. I know what it’s like to be Hero Netherfield, the weird new kid who is so easy to tease. This move will be different for Hero, though. She befriends the woman who lives next door and finds out that her family’s new house holds a big secret. The secret might even be connected to the true identity of William Shakespeare! This is a fun puzzle to try to solve along with Hero....
by Linda Sue Park Julia and Patrick have to do some kind of project for their agricultural club, but they don’t have enough space to do a typical farm project. Patrick comes up with the idea of raising silkworms, but Julia really doesn’t want to do. The project reminds her of Korea, where her parents came from. She wants to do a more “American” project. In the book, Julia shares her opinion of how the story is going with Ms. Park, the author. You don’t see that very often in books!...
by Betty Ren Wright Everything is changing for Charli this summer. First, her mom just married her gym teacher, and that’s not turning out as well as Charli had thought it would. Then, her aunt and uncle take in Sophia, a snooty orphan who can tell when something bad is about to happen. Even Charli can tell something bad is going to happen when Uncle Will announces he is going to turn the town’s haunted mansion into a bed and breakfast. Can Charli and Sophia get over their dislike for each other long enough to stop terrible things from happening?...