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Middle School Holiday Party
In T-minus 2 hours, we’ll be hosting our middle school group, Junior Friends, holiday party filled with games, a craft, and plenty of snacks. We have found through trial and (mostly) error that an hour is just enough time for the kids to relax and hang out and not too…
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The Raft
I’ll be honest, this was another one of those books that piqued my interest just by the cover art. I recently read Unbroken, written by Laura Hillenbrand, a true story about a man whose B-24 bomber crashed into the Pacific Ocean, afterward he spent 47 days floating on a raft…
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The Encyclopedia of Me
The Encyclopedia of Me written by Karen Rivers was an interesting take on the middle school drama that all girls go through. Rather than a novel, The Encyclopedia of Me is actually written as an encyclopedia with entries for each letter that actually works really well as a story too!…
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Lunch Lady and the Cyborg Subsitute
Lunch Lady and the Cyborg Substitute is the prefect start to a series of books for reluctant readers – especially elementary school-age boys. Jarrett Krosoczka’s graphic novel format works perfectly for reluctant readers with minimal text and a lot of action. The plot line follows the lunch lady and her assistant…
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Starry River of the Sky
Starry River of the Sky is written by Grace Lin and is considered a companion novel to Where the Mountain Meets the Moon. In both of these stories, Lin takes the Chinese folklore that she so desperately did not want to hear as a child and creates her own spin…
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The Composer is Dead
I would have to say that Lemony Snicket is one of the most interesting authors that is currently writing for children. From A Series of Unfortunate Events to The Lump of Coal his work is definitely different and kids go crazy for it! With that being said, I picked up The Composer is…
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The Black Book of Colors
This is probably one of the most interesting picture books I have ever seen! A quick story before I continue on: I volunteered at a summer camp for children with visual impairments and each child was different – from those who were completely blind, to those who could differentiate light…
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It’s That Time of Year…
I absolutely love the holidays! Beginning the Wednesday before Thanksgiving all the way to New Year’s Day – I love it! I love being with my family for Thanksgiving, listening to Christmas music, finding that perfect gift for someone, absolutely everything about the holidays! This weekend I got to spend…
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Best Books List
I have to say the end of the year brings with it a lot of fun – especially in the form of Top 10 and Best Books Lists. The New York Public Library has pulled together the top 100 books for reading and sharing this year. What’s great about this…
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Penguin and Pinecone
“One day Penguin found a curious object.” And so begins this beautiful story of friendship between a penguin and that curious object – a pinecone! Salina Yoon has created such a cute world with her whimsical illustrations and simple text about what it means to be a friend. I don’t…