They are back. Those fourth graders that no one wanted to teach. When last we saw this crew of misfit students, their teacher, Mr. Jupiter, was doing a great job of teaching the children without them realizing that they were learning! Well Mr. Jupiter is back and he has the same crew of kids, only they are in fifth grade now. Through this quick read, the students learn all sorts of morals like: “expect the unexpected”, “little by little does the trick”, “many of life’s mysteries remain unexplained” and many more. Mr. Jupiter even goes so far as to teach the students how to write fables of their own, with a modern twist. This was a fun book to read as well as to learn from. I hope that I get to see these students again…..in the sixth grade. Jacquie (J Fiction)
Jim has a pretty ordinary life in England, parents and an older sister, Becky, that torments him and his best friend Charlie. He’s not a great student in school and his sister has told him they are going to expel him and send him to an awful school. So he and Charlie decide to bug the teachers room to spy on them and see if what Becky said is true. The strangest thing happens, they overhear two teachers talking in some unknown language. Things only go downhill from here. Charlie disappears and Jim and Becky are on the run to track him down. You have to read it to see what they encounter and if they can save Charlie. Kristin (J Fiction)
Franny Chapman is thinking a lot about peace. Can she make peace with her friend, Margie, who has turned mean and spiteful? Can she make peace with her mom, who is so distracted, and with her sister, who has run off to stay with a friend? Can she make peace with Nikita Khrushchev? (She composes a mental letter to him each night as she tries to fall asleep.) Franny’s life feels scary and out of control- mirroring the state of the world. Interspersed between the chapters of Franny’s story are photographs, quotes, song lyrics, and ephemera from 1962 which set the tone for the book. This “documentary novel” is the first in the planned Sixties Trilogy and a sure contender this awards season. Meghan (J Fiction)
Mo Wren has lived in her house on Fox Street all her life. Fox street has everything Mo needs. There’s a lush ravine to explore, the perfect plum tree in their back yard, and neighbors who look out for Mo and her younger sister. Mo’s best friend Mercedes also comes to stay on Fox Street with her grandmother every summer. Most importantly, Fox Street and the Wren house is where all of Mo’s memories of her mother are. But things start to change on Fox Street. A vacant house is bought by a developer and torn down. Then other residents start getting letters from the same developer. Could this mean the end of Fox Street? Not if Mo has anything to do with it! Alia (J Fiction)
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