101 Ways to Have Fun, from the Editors of Faithgirlz and Girls' Life magazine

This book is a super cute gift idea for a preteen or teen girl at the start of the summer.  The title says it all - it's page after colorful page of ideas for things to do when you're bored.  It's in an easy-to-read magazine format.

Chapter Topics:  Just for You, Have a Blast with Your BFF, Friend Zone, Mini Makeovers, Super Sleepovers, Throw the Best Bash, Fun Ways to Make $ Fast, Get Active, and Get Crafty.  The chapters are filled with great ideas, recipes, and craft projects that are fun to do.  

The book also gives approximate times of how long each idea will take.  Ideas range in complexity from simple to complicated, and cover a wide variety of topics.  There should be something in here for every girl to find and enjoy.  Plus, since it's from Faithgirlz, this is all good wholesome fun, with nothing overtly religious.

Disclaimer:  I was provided a copy of this book by the publisher in exchange for a fair and honest review.

Four out of Five Stars

Samantha Sanderson: On the Scene, by Robin Caroll

This is the second book in a middle grades Christian series about Samantha Sanderson, a seventh grade reporter.  I didn’t like the first book because I thought the characters had questionable values.  But I wanted to try this second one because I did like the basic premise.

This book was much better than the first.  I did not have the same issues with values that I did with the first book.  

There were two serious issues here - bullying being the most central to the plot.  As an educator, I’m always interested in books that discuss bullying.  I feel this was handled in a very appropriate way, giving good advice to students who are being bullied.

The second issue was that of whether or not First Amendment rights apply to the staff of a school newspaper.  And while this was also handled in an accurate manner, it may not be very interesting to readers who are not interested in journalism or the law.

The characters are more likable in this installment of the series.  New characters are introduced that make the plot more interesting.  However, the book does start to drag on and become slightly repetitive by the end.  

I’d recommend this book to any middle grades reader, Christian or not.  I do not feel that the Christian portions would be offensive to a non-Christian.  The great discussions of how to handle bullying are hard to find in other middle grades books.  I do, however, urge parents to read and discuss these books with their daughters because of my issues with the morality of the characters in the first book.

Three out of Five Stars

Disclaimer:  I was provided a copy of this book by the publisher in exchange for a fair and honest review.

Flora & Ulysses, by Kate DiCamillo

         As a teacher, it's surprising that I've never read any of Kate DiCamillo's works until now.  I think she was one of those authors that I'd always planned to get around to, but never did.  So Flora and Ulysses ended up being that one book that I finally picked up while browsing at my local library.  And I'm sure glad I did!

          I fell in love with this book on page one.  I started and finished it in the same bubble bath one  Friday evening.  My family probably thought I'd drowned, but I just couldn't put this book down.  

          It's part standard novel, part graphic novel, which I found entertaining.  And you can't beat the story about a Super Hero Squirrel named Ulysses who helps a young girl work through her issues after her parents' separation.   It's quirky, humorous, inspiring, and just a darn good story.  I highly recommend it to middle grade students, young adults, and grown-ups who've always wished for a Super Hero Squirrel of their very own.  This is the stuff that imagination is made of.  It's an absolute must for any school library.

          Five out of Five Stars