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 * Welcome to the Warren County Mother Daughter Book Club Wiki**

= **Current Book for March 11th-** = = = >> Through all the hazards of the uncertain crop -- battling against dry weather and grass fires, the roving hogs and cattle of their neighbors -- Birdie dreamed of an education that would include playing the organ. In the end she won not only the title of "strawberry girl," but book learning as well. >> This is a story full of enterprise and fun and tire excitement of real life in this interesting part of America. >> Lois Lenski has used again her gift for catching the flavor and drama of life in a remote corner of America. It is the second of a series of regional stories through which she promises to introduce other fascinating and little-known backgrounds to boys and girls. This story will take a place beside her popular Louisiana story //Bayou Suzette// in the affection of readers. >> The eighty-four illustrations are distinguished for their action and fascinating detail. They add greatly to this true picture of Florida life at a time when old Florida ways were changing to new. >> Judy Moody was in a mood. Not a good mood. A bad mood. >> A mad-faced mood. >> >> Judy Moody doesn’t have high hopes for third grade. But she does have an abundance of individuality and attitude, and when Mr. Todd assigns the class a special Me Project, she really gets a chance to express herself! Megan McDonald’s spirited text and Peter Reynolds’s wry illustrations will delight any kid who’s known a bad mood or a bad day - and managed to laugh anyway. >> So begins the story of Thunder Rose, who drinks her milk straight from the cow and prefers the company of her bull, Tater, to any kitten or puppy. Rose is capturing outlaws by the time she's a teenager, but she always has time to find joy in a song. Jerdine Nolen and Kadir Nelson have created a tall tale--and a powerful new African American heroine--to delight readers of all ages. > These are the words in Charlotte's web, high in the barn. Her spiderweb tells of her feelings for a little pig named Wilbur, as well as the feelings of a little girl named Fern ... who loves Wilbur, too. Their love has been shared by millions of readers. >> Other kids have their own word to describe him, but Zinkoff is too busy to hear it. He doesn't know he's not like everyone else. And one winter night, Zinkoff's differences show that any name can someday become "hero."
 * //The Facts and Fictions of Minna Pratt// by Patricia MacLachlan ( Age Level: 8 and up | Grade Level: 4 and up | Series: Charlotte Zolotow Books)
 * Minna wishes for many things. She wishes she understood the quote taped above her mother's typewriter://Fact and fiction are different truths//. She wishes her mother would stop writing long enough to really listen to her. She wishes her house were peaceful and orderly like her friend Lucas's. Most of all, she wishes she could find a vibrato on her cello and play Mozart the way he deserves to be played.Minna soon discovers that some things can't be found-they just have to //happen//. And as she waits for her vibrato to happen, Minna begins to understand some facts and fictions about herself.
 * =**Other Book Ideas:**=
 * //The Paper Bag Princess// by Robert N. Munsch ( Age Level: 4 and up | Grade Level: P and up | Series: Classic Munsch)
 * The Princess Elizabeth is slated to marry Prince Ronald when a dragon attacks the castle and kidnaps Ronald. In resourceful and humorous fashion, Elizabeth finds the dragon, outsmarts him, and rescues Ronald --- who is less than pleased at her un-princess-like appearance. Full color throughout.
 * //Ramona Quimby, Age 8//by Beverly Cleary ( Age Level: 8 and up | Grade Level: 3 and up | Series: Avon Camelot Books)
 * Ramona feels quite grown-up taking the bus by herself, helping big sister Beezus make dinner, and trying hard to be nice to pesky Willa Jean after school. Turning eight years old and entering the first grade can do that to a girl. So how can her teacher call her a nuisance?
 * //Strawberry Girl//by Lois Lenski ( Age Level: 10 and up | Grade Level: 5 and up)
 * Birdie Boyer was a Florida Cracker. She belonged to a large "strawberry family," who lived on a flatwoods farm in the lake section of the state. They raised strawberries for a living.
 * //Strawberry Girl//by Lois Lenski ( Age Level: 10 and up | Grade Level: 5 and up)
 * Birdie Boyer was a Florida Cracker. She belonged to a large "strawberry family," who lived on a flatwoods farm in the lake section of the state. They raised strawberries for a living.
 * **Winner, 1946 Newbery Medal**
 * Little House Series by Laura Ingalls Wilder
 * //Little House in the Big Woods// ( Age Level: 9 and up | Grade Level: 4 and up )>>
 * Presents a year in the life of two young girls growing up on the Wisconsin frontier as they help their mother with the daily chores, enjoy their father's stories and singing, and share special occasions with relatives and neighbors.
 * //Judy Moody// by Megan McDonald ( Age Level: 6 and up | Grade Level: 1 and up | Series: Judy Moody)
 * //Judy Moody// by Megan McDonald ( Age Level: 6 and up | Grade Level: 1 and up | Series: Judy Moody)
 * //Judy Moody// by Megan McDonald ( Age Level: 6 and up | Grade Level: 1 and up | Series: Judy Moody)
 * //Thunder Rose// by Jerdine Nolen (5 and up | Grade Level: K and up | Series: Coretta Scott King Illustrator Honor Books )
 * On a dark night of howling rain and booming thunder, Jackson and Millicent MacGruder welcome a new baby girl into their lives. Imagine their surprise when she sits up, thanks them for bringing her into the world, and informs them that she's quite partial to the name Rose.
 * On a dark night of howling rain and booming thunder, Jackson and Millicent MacGruder welcome a new baby girl into their lives. Imagine their surprise when she sits up, thanks them for bringing her into the world, and informs them that she's quite partial to the name Rose.
 * //Morning Girl// by Michael Dorris ( Age Level: 9 and up | Grade Level: 4 and up)
 * A peaceful, tropical world is the setting for Morning Girl, a simple yet rich glimpse into the lives of a young sister and brother. Morning Girl and Star Boy grapple with timeless, universal issues such as experiencing simultaneous anger and love toward family members and the quest to discover the true self. As all siblings do, these children respond to, play off of, and learn from each other. Precisely where Morning Girl and Star Boy are growing up is not revealed, but it`s clearly a place where the residents have no modern amenities. Living in harmony with nature is a necessary priority here, and--given the descriptive names of the characters--a Native Indian culture seems likely. But not until the epilogue do readers discover that the story takes place in 1492. Suddenly we realize that the strange-looking visitors Morning Girl welcomes to shore are not as harmless as they may appear. The excerpt from Christopher Columbus`s journal provides an ominous footnote: these gentle people, who seem so very much like us, will not be permitted their idyllic existence much longer.
 * Shel Silverstein poetry
 * The Rough Face Girlby Rafe Martin ( Age Level: 4 and up | Grade Level: P and up)
 * Every woman in the tribe wishes to marry the being who lives by the lake, but it is only the Rough-Face Girl--her face scarred from tending fires--who has the knowledge to win him.
 * //Charlotte’s Web// by E.B. White ( Age Level: 8 and up | Grade Level: 3 and up | Series: Trophy Newbery)
 * Some Pig
 * Every woman in the tribe wishes to marry the being who lives by the lake, but it is only the Rough-Face Girl--her face scarred from tending fires--who has the knowledge to win him.
 * //Charlotte’s Web// by E.B. White ( Age Level: 8 and up | Grade Level: 3 and up | Series: Trophy Newbery)
 * Some Pig
 * Some Pig
 * //Grandaddy’s Girl// by Margaree King ( Age Level: 5 and up)
 * When her grandfather registers to vote while living in segregated Mississippi, an Afro-American girl begins to understand why he insists that she attend school.
 * //Zora Hurston and the Chinaberry Tree// by William Miller ( Age Level: 5 and up | Grade Level: K and up | Series: Reading Rainbow Book)
 * Dreaming of living in the cities that she sees from the top of the chinaberry tree, young Zora learns about reaching for her dreams and listens to the stories of her fellow townspeople, from whom she obtains the secret of keeping the past alive.
 * //The Lupine Lady// by Barbara Cooney ( Age Level: 5 and up | Grade Level: K and up)
 * As a child Great-aunt Alice Rumphius resolved that when she grew up she would go to faraway places, live by the sea in her old age, and do something to make the world more beautiful--and she does all those things, the last being the most difficult of all.
 * Bad Kitty Series by Nick Bruel ( Age Level: 5 and up | Grade Level: P and up | Series: Bad Kitty)
 * From the creator of //The New York Times// bestseller //Boing!// comes the riotous story of a cat gone berserk -- four times over an in alphabetical order each time. Kitty is not happy hen she's told that her favorite foods are all gone and all that's left are Asparagus, Beets, Cauliflower, Dill...and 22 other equally unappealing vegetables. So she: Ate my homework, Bit grandma, Clawed the curtains, Damaged the dishes, and so on, through Z. Only when tastier things arrive (An Assortment of Anchovies, Buffalo Burritos, Chicken Cheesecake...) does she Apologize to Grandma.
 * //Misty of Chincoteague// by Marguerite Henry (Interest Level: Grade 3 - Grade 5, Grade Level Equivalent: 5.8 )
 * Paul and his sister Maureen's determination to own a pony from the herd on Chincoteague Island, Virginia, is greatly increased when the Phantom and her colt are among the ponies rounded up for the yearly auction.
 * //Sarah, Plain and Tall// by Patricia MacLachlan ( Age Level: 8 and up | Grade Level: 3 and up)
 * //Loser// by Jerry Spinelli ( Age Level: 8 and up | Grade Level: 3 and up)
 * Just like other kids, Zinkoff rides his bike, hopes for snow days, and wants to be like his dad when he grows up. But Zinkoff also raises his hand with all the wrong answers, trips over his own feet, and falls down with laughter over a word like "Jabip."
 * //Misty of Chincoteague// by Marguerite Henry (Interest Level: Grade 3 - Grade 5, Grade Level Equivalent: 5.8 )
 * Paul and his sister Maureen's determination to own a pony from the herd on Chincoteague Island, Virginia, is greatly increased when the Phantom and her colt are among the ponies rounded up for the yearly auction.
 * //Sarah, Plain and Tall// by Patricia MacLachlan ( Age Level: 8 and up | Grade Level: 3 and up)
 * //Loser// by Jerry Spinelli ( Age Level: 8 and up | Grade Level: 3 and up)
 * Just like other kids, Zinkoff rides his bike, hopes for snow days, and wants to be like his dad when he grows up. But Zinkoff also raises his hand with all the wrong answers, trips over his own feet, and falls down with laughter over a word like "Jabip."
 * Just like other kids, Zinkoff rides his bike, hopes for snow days, and wants to be like his dad when he grows up. But Zinkoff also raises his hand with all the wrong answers, trips over his own feet, and falls down with laughter over a word like "Jabip."
 * //Matilda// by Roald Dahl ( Age Level: 8 and up | Grade Level: 3 and up)
 * For hundreds of kids, "The Trunchbull" is pure terror. For Matilda, she's a sitting duck.
 * //Kittens in the Kitchen// by Ben M. Baglio ( Age Level: 9 and up | Grade Level: 4 and up)
 * When a stray cat gives birth to kittens in Mr. Williams' kitchen, he is furious. Can Mandy find homes for four kittens in one week?.
 * //Amber Brown is Not a Crayon// by Paula Danzinger ( Age Level: 7 and up | Grade Level: 2 and up | Series: Amber Brown)
 * Amber Brown and Justin Daniels are best friends. They’ve known each other for practically forever, sit next to each other in class, help each other with homework, and always stick up for each other. Justin never says things like, "Amber Brown is not a crayon." Amber never says, "Justin Time." They’re a great team—until disaster strikes. Justin has to move away, and now the best friends are fighting. Will they be able to work it out before it’s too late?
 * //Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of Nimh//by Robert C. O' Brien
 * Mrs. Frisby, a widowed mouse with four small children, is faced with a terrible problem. She must move her family to their summer quarters immediately, or face almost certain death. But her youngest son, Timothy, lies ill with pneumonia and must not be moved. Fortunately, she encounters the rats of NIMH, an extraordinary breed of highly intelligent creatures, who come up with a brilliant solution to her dilemma. And Mrs. Frisby in turn renders them a great service.

=Other Resources=

[|Girl Books Categorized by Genre]

[|Books for Girls]

[|Commentary by Richard Peck and Discussion Questions (NOTE: spoilers)]

=** Books We Have Read **= //A Long Way From Chicago// by Richard Peck Each summer over the nine years of the Depression, Joey and his sister, Mary Alice-two city slickers from Chicago-make their annual summer visit to Grandma Dowdel's seemingly sleepy Illinois town. Soon enough, they find that it's far from sleepy... and Grandma is far from your typical grandmother. From seeing their first corpse (and he isn't resting easy) to helping Grandma trespass, pinch property, catch the sheriff in his underwear, and feed the hungry-all in one day-Joey and Mary Alice have nine summers they'll never forget. Richard Peck's laugh-out-loud funny, episodic novel makes sure that you never will, either! The 1999 Newbery Honor Book -"A small masterpiece of storytelling." -//The Horn Book// //A Year Down Yonder// by Richard Peck Mary Alice's childhood summers in Grandma Dowdel's sleepy Illinois town were packed with enough drama to fill the double bill of any picture show. But now she is fifteen, and faces a whole long year with Grandma, a woman well known for shaking up her neighbors-and everyone else! All Mary Alice can know for certain is this: when trying to predict how life with Grandma might turn out. . . better not. This wry, delightful sequel to the Newbery Honor Book //A Long Way from Chicago// has already taken its place among the classics of children's literature. //Half Magic// by Edward Eager > > > > **A timeless tale by the incomparable Kate DiCamillo, complete with stunning full-color plates by Bagram Ibatoulline, honors the enduring power of love.** > > "Someone will come for you, but first you must open your heart. . . ." > > Once, in a house on Egypt Street, there lived a china rabbit named Edward Tulane. The rabbit was very pleased with himself, and for good reason: he was owned by a girl named Abilene, who treated him with the utmost care and adored him completely. > > And then, one day, he was lost. > > Kate DiCamillo takes us on an extraordinary journey, from the depths of the ocean to the net of a fisherman, from the top of a garbage heap to the fireside of a hoboes' camp, from the bedside of an ailing child to the bustling streets of Memphis. And along the way, we are shown a true miracle — that even a heart of the most breakable kind can learn to love, to lose, and to love again.
 * //Half Magic// was the //Magic Tree House// of its day. As if wizardry was not enough, our four main characters take on multiple adventures with only "half" the magical prowess they need from a found coin. The kids devise clever ways to utilize the coin's capacity and the result is a very cool and captivating story. If your child falls in love with //Half Magic//, there are several sequels to quench their thirst for more. 208 pages.
 * //The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane//by Kate DiCamillo