Archive 6 - Fall 2007

Jack Plank Tells Tales
Babbitt, Natalie

Jack Plank was a pirate but after awhile it was clear that he wasn’t much good at plundering. So he went ashore to look for another occupation. He ends up in a town called Saltwash, on the coast of the Caribbean Sea. While staying at a boarding house and being escorted around town by the eleven year old daughter of the widow he boards with Jack finally finds his trade. A great read aloud.

Attack of the Turtle
Carlson, Drew

1776: the Revolutionary War is raging in the New York harbor.
Fourteen-year-old Nathan is a patriot, but he’s too young to join the fight. He worries about fighting his own battles—overcoming a fear of water and avoiding the neighborhood bully. But when his cousin David Bushnell comes to town with a secret, Nate is drawn to the intrigue.
Based on actual historical events, this adventure story captures the drama of the first submarine used in naval warfare.

The Story of Jonas
Dahlberg, Maurine F.

In 1859, Master William’s good-for-nothing son, Percy, is heading for the gold fields in the Kansas Territory to seek his fortune, and Jonas, a slave, is being sent along as his cook and caretaker. Jonas can’t imagine how he’ll survive and entire year away, especially with brutal Master Percy.

Meet Julie
McDonald, Megan

Julie Albright doesn't want to move away from her San Francisco neighborhood near Chinatown, even if their new apartment is just a few miles away. Moving means leaving her best friend, Ivy, and her pet rabbit, Nutmeg. Worst of all, it means leaving Dad, now that her parents are divorced. Julie tries to make the best of it by joining the school's basketball team, but the coach won't allow girls to play. She learns that it's up to her to make positive changes in her new school--and her new life. Julie is the newest girl in the American Girl Series.

Chase
Haas, Jessie

Phin Chase, an orphan, was in the wrong place at the wrong time. Now he’s witness to a murder, and he must run fast and far to escape the Sleepers. With only his own wits to rely on, Phin hops a train to flee his small town. But there’s a mysterious man on his trail, a man with a horse that tracks like a bloodhound. The story is set in Pennsylvania coal country just after the Civil War. A historical adventure.

Mostly Monty
Hurwitz, Joanna

Montgomery Morris is a first grader who has asthma . Monty finds it hard to breathe around some animals and also has a hard time running around on the playground with the others kids. Monty makes adjustments to the kind of pet he owns, his hobbies and even making new friends . Monty discovers that being himself is really pretty great. Young readers will enjoy this early chapter book.

Ranger’s Apprentice Book Three: The Icebound Land
Flanagan, John

The Icebound Land is the third book in the Ranger’s Apprentice series. It’s a great book for those who love fantasy and high adventure. Will and Evanlyn are kidnapped and taken to a frozen land after a fierce battle with Lord Morgarath. Will’s mentor Halt and his friend Horace are on their way to rescue them. Will they be in time to rescue Will and Evanlyn from a lifetime of slavery?

Into the Firestorm
Hopkinson, Deborah

Nicholas Dray is alone after his grandmother dies. Even though Nicholas is only twelve, he decides to run away from the orphanage in Texas to San Francisco. He finds himself a job in a stationery shop and finally feels safe. He is even able to sleep in the shop’s basement. Just as Nicholas is settling in for the night, the basement walls begin to shake. Nicholas is facing the 1906 San Francisco earthquake—now he must find a way to survive the havoc. The author based the story on a true life account of the 1906 San Francisco earthquake.

War Horse
Morpurgo, Michael

Joey wasn’t always a war horse. Before the war, Joey lived quietly on an English farm with a family and their thirteen-year-old son Albert. When World War I arrives, Joey is sold to the army to raise money for the family. Joey recalls the struggle for survival as a cavalry horse during the war, and his reunion with his beloved master.