Kids Books - Teaching

I am so glad books like this exist. Without Ishi, I would not have known what life was really like for the Yahi when the Saldu (white man) showed up. I love the details of Ishi's life in Northern California, and I also feel terribly depressed when I read about the demise of his tribe. A very important book for young readers studying California Indian history.

“A Girl Named Disaster,” by Nancy Farmer was an exciting, thrilling story that caught my attention and won’t be forgotten. The main character takes you on the adventure of a lifetime but is not too far from real life. Nhamo, the main character, has a hard time living in her village, always feeling on the outside. Her mother was killed by a leopard and her father is nowhere to be found. No one will tell her anything about her father and where he has gone, she doesn't even know if her parents were married. When she has to be sacrificed to a cruel man who already has three wives, she doesn’t know what to do. Her grandmother knew what she had to do, Nhamo had to run away with little information on how to survive in the wild. She must follow hard directions to try to find her father. She steals a boat, and is swept out into a large lake. She will battle drowning, starvation, wild animals, and the mystery of what lies ahead. The gripping adventure and spirit of the main character turned the story into a must read. One reason the story was unforgettable was how realistic it felt and how you could really connect with the reading. It made you feel like you were following the girl the whole time being able to relate to the smallest things like loving the feel of the ground after you got off a long boat ride. The detail just made it better making you able to feel exactly how she felt at that time. You were able to feel the pain when Nhamo heard news that broke her heart and enjoy some of the things we take for granted. This thrilling adventure took you somewhere you never thought you would go. This is a must read and will teach you something about the African culture.

In the beginning, I found it quite boring, but I never quit on books and lucky for me, I didn't stop because this was a real adventure. Twelve-year-old Andora ‘Andi’ Boggs and her new best friend Colin Carter couldn’t be more excited to attend the prestigious science camp at the local university in Killdeer, Ohio. Unfortunately, Discovery Camp’s curriculum appears to include much more than just chemistry and biology. From day one, the university is plagued by a series of pranks—missing markers, loose crickets, and stolen scales. Campus security blames the mysterious janitor Polk, but even though Andi agrees he’s acting suspicious, she can’t believe the gentle old man would do anything illegal. Then one prank goes too far and their chemistry professor is injured by an explosion in the lab, upping the stakes of the investigation. Andi and Colin must unravel the secrets behind the chemistry department and figure out the culprit.

This book is absolutely amazing. You actually learn a little about how life was centuries ago while indulging in some great fantasy writing. If you like the dark ages and you like unicorns than you will love this book.

This is one of the best books I have ever read. If you like mysteries you will love this book. It is a little sad when Andi's parents die in the beginning, but Andi and her sister get to live with her aunt. When she and her sister move to her aunts Andi makes a new friend named Colin. When Andi and Colin are in the attic they fined a trunk. The trunk that belonged to Andora starts the hole mystery. The mystery being what happened to Andora Boggs.

He didn't do it. He didn't do it. Honest to God. He didn't do it. But then why is he hiding? Acting like a criminal himself? Cooper and his two friends watched as the men almost killed Frank - the owner of Frank'n'Steins, their favorite place to hang out. They watched them drain his life savings and remove the evidence. And they escaped - with some of the evidence. The criminals want that evidence back, but the cops want it as well. But now Cooper, Hiro and Gordy are bound by their Code of Silence to keep what they saw secret and lie to keep themselves and their families safe. However, the lies inflate and become bigger than they could have imagined when the police come to their school, looking for the mystery 8th grade witness that was spotted right after the incident. Hiro urges Cooper to break the Code and go to the police, but he can't convince himself to do it. The criminals were wearing cop-pants that night. One could be a dirty cop, and then his life would be over, literally. As Gordy struggles to keep their friendship together, Cooper comes up with more and more elaborate plans to keep themselves hidden and still offer what he has to know to the police. He is afraid, they all are. No, they are scared out of their wits - fearing for their lives. But in the final hour, Cooper is forced to face himself: who is he really protecting with the lies? Himself? Or the criminals? I think this is a great read. It's chock full of suspense, mystery, and twists at every corner. It's not as action-packed as I would have liked, especially in the beginning, but it really gets your heart rate up. It's also highly realistic which makes it a tad bit scarier. I think anybody fifth grade and up would enjoy it.

I love this boook

I really like the ideas here, and it is easy to read. You can read just relevant chapters.

I totally recommend this to intense readers. Sumitra is soooo awesome and it think she needs better. If you dont know what I am ranting on about READ THE BOOK! My life is a teeny tiny bit like Sumitra's .... I live 2 different lives. Well, enjoy the book!

This book is great. The era is WII. Everyone at the boarding school is scared out of their wits. Then, one night, Jesse sees Miss Muller going up to the roof in the middle of the night. She tells all her friends and some of them portray wild speculations about what she could have been doing. Over all, this was a great book. I've been nagging my sister to read it, but she won't. I love this book.