Tag Archives: classification

Born to Rule – Kathryn Lasky

“Born to Rule” is a cute book written for girls ages 8-12. Our main character is Princess Alicia, a young lady who is leaving behind her castle home to attend Camp Princess for the first time. Camp Princess is a fun summer camp designed especially for princesses. Each year, the girls learn how to work tapestry and to train songbirds. They do archery and other royal-type sports, and they sleep in every morning and have their breakfast in bed. It’s a break from the rigors of castle life (you know, where they have to have breakfast in bed and sleep … Continue reading →

A Wizard Named Nell – Jackie French Koller

“A Wizard Named Nell” is the first book in a series entitled “The Keepers,” which is fantasy geared toward the intermediate reading level. My daughter took one look at it and clamored to be next to read it, and I’ll have no problem at all letting her. It’s a fun adventure with just enough peril, but not too much. Many hundreds of years ago, two wizard brothers fought for control of the land. The good wizard, desperate for his evil brother to be conquered, put himself and all his magic in a scepter that shone more brightly than the sun. … Continue reading →

Trouble According to Humphrey – Betty G. Birney

We met Humphrey the golden hamster when I reviewed “The World According to Humphrey.” Today we’re checking in with everyone’s favorite classroom pet to see what he’s been up to in the book “Trouble According to Humphrey.” Mrs. Brisbane has a wonderful idea. She is going to turn classroom 26 into a community for social studies. The children will each create a building, and they’ll all have jobs. First, though, they need a name for their community, and they choose Humphreyville. Humphrey is so excited, he can’t stand it! A whole town, named just for him! And there’s a class … Continue reading →

The World According to Humphrey – Betty G. Birney

Have you ever wondered what it’s really like to be a classroom pet? If you read “The World According to Humphrey,” you’ll find out. Humphrey is a golden hamster and was purchased by an elementary school teacher named Ms. Mac. She made everything special, from the way she bought Humphrey his own notebook and pencil, to the way she took him home every night and weekend. She’d let him run around her apartment, she made him mazes on the floor – she was a perfect hamster owner. But as it turns out, she was just a substitute teacher, and Humphrey … Continue reading →

Emmy and the Incredible Shrinking Rat – Lynne Jonell

Appearing today in stores everywhere, “Emmy and the Incredible Shrinking Rat” is a must for your reading list for ages 9+. I read it in one sitting and came away entertained and enchanted. Emmy is a very good girl who does everything her nanny, Miss Barmy, tells her. She is a straight A student, she never gets in trouble, and she never talks back. You might think she’s this way because she’s impeccably well-mannered, and she is – but her underlying reason is this – she wants her parents to like her more. If she never gets in trouble, maybe … Continue reading →

The Magic Tree House Books – Mary Pope Osborne

I first discovered “The Magic Tree House Books” by Mary Pope Osborne when my daughter outgrew the beginning readers and wasn’t quite ready for the older reader books. My librarian was very helpful and pointed this series out to me. The series revolves around Jack and his little sister Annie, typical children from our time who have a tree house on their property. The first book in the series is called “Dinosaurs Before Dark.” In this book, Jack and Annie discover that the tree house is owned by Morgan le Fay, who is King Arthur’s sister and also a librarian. … Continue reading →

How to Be Cool in the Third Grade – Betsy Duffey

As the countdown toward the first day of school continues, I offer “How to Be Cool in the Third Grade” by intermediate author Betsy Duffey. Robbie is excited for the first day of school. Last year was awesome, but last year, he knew how to be cool. It was easy to figure out what was cool in second grade, but now he’s faced with a new challenge – what’s cool in third grade? It’s a whole new playing field now – the kids are older, the teacher is different, the trends have changed – how can he figure out what’s … Continue reading →

Rosie’s Big City Ballet – Patricia Reilly Giff

If you have an intermediate reader who is interested in ballet, “Rosie’s Big City Ballet” is for you. Rosie takes ballet once a week, and she thinks it would be nice to become a ballerina some day, but she sometimes forgets to practice, and there are times when she’d rather be outside playing than thinking about her assignments. She has an older neighbor named Amy who is in the chorus at a ballet in the city, and she invites Rosie to come see a performance of “Romeo and Juliet.” Rosie is delighted, and even more so when she gets to … Continue reading →

Meow Means Mischief – Ann Whitehead Nagda

In the intermediate book “Meow Means Mischief,” we meet Rana, a girl who has just moved to a new home with her little sister Tara and her parents. She’s insecure about her new school – the other children seem so confident and like they know what they’re doing all the time. Rana knows the move was good for her family – the house is bigger and they have room for the things they need, but she still feels like an outsider. One day Rana sees a cute little kitten outside the patio doors, and she falls in love with it. … Continue reading →

Top Five Intermediate Scrapbooking Tools

An Intermediate scrapbooker is beginning to see a vision in their layouts. More often than not, they are ready to really get into embellishing the layout and using supplies that make scrapbooking easier. Even a beginner will enjoy using some of these supplies, and will want them right away. They are not necessarily provided only for an Intermediate scrapbooker. They are just another part of the scrapbooking world, and are not needed as often for a very basic scrapbook. These are the top five Intermediate scrapbooking supplies that you need to get started in this wonderful hobby. 1. Page Protectors … Continue reading →