The Nina, the Pinta, and the Vanishing Treasure

Written by Jill Santopolo

Illustrations by Nathan Hale

Christopher Columbus is not Alec's favorite historical figure. Unfortunately for Alec, the entire of month of October is dedicated to researching Columbus! On top of that, there is a new exhibit at the museum that highlights Columbus' travels and contributions to the world. Surprisingly, Alec's dad, a police detective, receives a call to investigate a missing exhibit at the museum; not just any exhibit...the Columbus exhibit! Lucky for him, Alec gets to practice being a super sleuth and help his father with the case. When he decides that he cannot solve the mystery on his own, he befriends Gina, a girl in his class. Gina turns out to be a great partner, and she also presents a second mystery to Alec. The mystery of what happened to their art teacher!

Did you figure out the solutions to both of Alec and Gina's mysteries before you were finished reading the book? Do you like the mystery genre? What are some other mysteries you have read?

Bobby vs. Girls (Accidentally)

Written by Lisa Yee

Illustrated by Dan Santat

Bobby and Holly have been friends forever. That is, until they started fourth grade. Holly suddenly becomes friends with Jillian Zarr; and that's when things begin to change. Bobby thinks she is acting like a girl (instead of like his best friend.) Besides his former best friend becoming friends with someone else, Bobby has other problems to deal with. For example, his former-football-star-now-stay-at-home-dad cannot seem to conquer the task of cooking any meal without burning it, and he becomes a "PTO lady!" Bobby also wants a dog more than anything in the world, but he settles for a pet fish named Rover. When it's time for class elections, Bobby finds himself competing with Holly for the class representative position. He wonders how he will survive the elections as he finds himself in the middle of an all-out boy vs. girl war!

Have you ever had a fight with your best friend? Have you ever been friends with someone and suddenly realized that you weren't really friends after all? What did you do? Does this book remind you of another book you've read?

Annie Glover is Not a Tree Lover

Written by Darleen Bailey Beard

Pictures by Heather Maione

Annie Glover is used to her grandmother's outrageous protests of things that she thinks are wrong. This time, however, Grandma has gone too far! Tying herself to the huge tree she calls Elmer across the street from Annie's school is just too embarrassing! The city wants to cut down the tree in order to build a swimming pool, but Annie's grandmother is determined to save the 100-year-old piece of the town's history.

Have you ever been embarrassed by someone in your family? What happened? How did you overcome the problem?

Umbrella Summer

Written by Lisa Graff

Annie is certain her symptoms indicate that she has several diseases or other health problems. She also feels that a person can't be too careful to prevent accidents. She stocks up on Band-Aids and is sure to wear her bicycle helmet wherever she goes (even if she's walking to her best friend's house down the street.) Since her brother died unexpectedly, she spends every minute trying to prevent another tragedy in her family. The grown-ups around her are very worried, but they don't know how to help her. After a misunderstanding with her best friend and acquiring an unlikely new friend, Annie learns how to stop worrying, put down her "umbrella," and begin to enjoy life.


When I first started reading this book I was confused about who Jared was and why his death was such a bid deal to Annie. I also couldn't understand how a 10-year-old could be so preoccupied with health problems. However, the more I read, the more I began to understand Annie's situation. The author does a great job giving the reader a glimpse into the characters' thoughts and emotions. I could hardly put the book down because I wanted to know what happened next. Have you ever been so involved in a book that you lost track of time? What book was it? What made you enjoy the book so much?

Dying to Meet You

Written by Kate Klise

Illustrated by M. Sarah Klise

Although his parents have abandoned him, Seymour is happy. He lives in an old Victorian mansion with his cat and a ghost that he can only see when she allows him to. He is trying to earn enough money to buy the house from his parents when the house is unexpectedly rented out for the summer by a "has-been" author trying to overcome writer's block. At first, Seymour isn't worried because he has successfully scared away all potential buyers. Until now. Will he scare away the author? Can Olive, the ghost, help?

Would you read the next book in this series? Why or why not? If you are a fan of ghost stories, what are some of your other favorites?

Gruffen

Written by Chris D'Lacey

Illustrated by Adam Stower

Lucy's mom is an artist that works with clay. Her art studio is called the Dragon's Den because her specialty is creating magical dragons. In fact, their house is protected by many of her creations. Gruffen's job is to protect Lucy from the monster that is flying around her window each night. Much to Gruffen's surprise, the monster turns out to be a really good friend.

This chapter book is the first in a new series by Chris D'Lacey called The Dragons of Wayward Crescent. If Lucy's mom could make you a dragon with a special talent, what kind of dragon would you want? Why?

Nathaniel Fludd Beastologist: Flight of the Phoenix

Written by R. L. LaFevers

Illustrated by Kelly Murphy

Nathaniel's parents were explorers. They left him with a caretaker until his sense of adventure developed, but promised to send for him when he was older. By the time he turned ten and still hadn't received a letter from his parents, Nathaniel gave up on that dream. One day, a lawyer contacted his caregiver stating that he had word from the boy's parents. Unfortunately, the news he had wasn't good; Nathaniel's parents had been declared lost at sea. What's more is that Nathaniel was now to leave his caretaker and live with a distant relative, Phil Fludd. Faced with this life-changing news, Nathaniel was put on a train and sent to the unknown relative's home. Upon his arrival, he learned that this relative was a beastologist, whatever that is. Scared and lonely, Nathaniel was determined to learn all he could about his parents and the rest of his ancestors, as well as to figure out if he deserved to be a member of this family of great explorers.

During his first quest with Aunt Phil, Nathaniel receives a most important gift from a phoenix that he protects. The book ends and we never learn what becomes of this gift. What do you think Nathaniel and Aunt Phil will do with it? Do you think we will read about it in the next book from this series?