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One for the Murphys
When Carly Connors in placed in the foster care system at the age of twelve after an incident at home with her mother and step-father she is blindsided. The Murphy family with whom she is placed is drastically different from how she grew up and although it takes a little…
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See You At Harry’s
See You At Harry’s written by Jo Knowles is a beautiful story filled with the complexities of middle school. Fern feels invisible at the age of 12 when her older siblings are beginning to distance themselves from childish games and her younger brother will not stop bothering her. Fern feels that…
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The Philadelphia Zoo and Books
I’m going to brag a little about the Philadelphia Zoo. They offer a number of great programs for children of all ages. Many of the programs include not only a craft and information about different animals at the zoo, but they also include stories! Parents, you don’t necessarily need to…
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Half Brother
Ben Tomlin was an only child for thirteen years, until the day his mother brought home Zan – an eight-day old chimpanzee. Ben’s parents plan on raising Zan as a human and to teach him American Sign Language (ASL) in order to see if Zan can acquire advanced language skills.…
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Eight Keys
Eight Keys written by Suzanne LaFleur is the coming-of-age story of a sixth grade girl named Elise whose entire world is changing and she can’t manage to keep up. She starts her 6th grade year at a new middle school where her locker partner bullies her, her best friend Franklin seems to…
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Sparrow Road
Sparrow Road is a story of mystery, of intrigue, of interesting characters, and of connecting to a world that is not your own, or better yet can become a part of your own. Sheila O’Connor’s characters in Sparrow Road are the type of people I would love to spend time…