Letters From a Desperate Dog by Eileen Christelow

Summary:
Emma, a puppy, lives with her owner George who is a painter. They get along fine most of the time but sometimes Emma cannot seem to get anything right in George's eyes. Everything she does seems to set her human owner off: lying down on the new couch, talking to her neighbor canine friends fishing in the trash etc. All she hears all day from George is "BAD ! BAD ! BAD !". Emma is desperate to fix this friendship. During one of her visits to the library she discovers a canine advice columnist, Queenie, who offers advice to dogs. Emma emails Queenie for advice. Queenie advises Emma to get off the couch and try to be more useful to her owner.

My view: The cartoon like drawings led an appeal to the story. Most kids will understand Emma’s dilemma of being misunderstood by her owner. The multiple panel inserts accompanying each story line on a page are a nice touch. Emma’s dilemma is made more real by the accompanying emails she writes and receives from Queenie. Her visits to the library add authenticity to the story. However, Emma’s going off to an acting job throws off the story line and is a bit confusing.
The book will be a suitable read for older kids from 7-10 years old.

Redeeming Love: A Novel by Francine Rivers

Summary: Angel is the illegitimate child of a single mother. Her father is married and wants nothing to do with her. Angel’s mother has been rejected by her own parents for bearing a child out of wedlock. The society they live in ignores them. Angel is sold into prostitution as a young girl. She has known nothing but rejection throughout her life. Michael Hosea is a godly man sent into her life to rescue her and show her the redeeming and transforming power of God’s unconditional love. Francine takes us on an emotional journey of Angel’s rebirth. We witness Angel’s stubborn acceptance of present circumstances, Hosea’s persistent pursuit in the face of her rejection, Angel’s brokenness and healing as she finally accepts Hosea’s love. This is an inspirational story about God’s unconditional love and forgiveness.

Miss Smith and The Haunted Library

Bibliography Garland, M. (2009). Miss Smith and The Haunted Library . New York: Penguin Group. ISBN: 978-0-525-42139-9 Story Summary: Zack’s teacher, Miss Smith, takes the class on visit to the library. The fall morning which had seemed “dreary” takes an exciting turn when the students meet the spooky librarian, Virginia Creeper. The librarian reads from Miss Smith’s “ Incredible Story Book ”. The characters from the story literally leap out of the book as she reads and soon the library is filled with scary creatures and all the children cringe in fear, yet Virginia Creeper relentlessly reads on unperturbed. The librarian then stops reading. She sets out apple cider and cookies and everyone, the children and the story book characters, all have a cookie and cider party together. Then suddenly Virginia Creeper remembers it is time for the senior citizens book club. She must clean up quickly.The senior cit...

PROM

Bibliography: Anderson, L.(2005).Prom. New York: Penguin Group. Book Summary Eighteen year old Ash’s goal at this point is to graduate high school. She is going through a stressful period and is determined to overcome all the obstacles standing in her way. She has detentions and unpaid library fines on her record that prevent her from participating in senior activities. She is not interested in going to the prom and is determined to avoid it at all costs. But when all the prom money is stolen by the math teacher, Ash is somehow sucked into helping her friend Nat rescue the prom. Through hard work, ingenuity, careful planning and determination, Ash salvages the prom. My Impression Ashley is a typical teen girl going through issues that are not uncommon to girls her own age. She is struggling to finish high school and cannot see beyond this to college. Her main goal is to graduate high school and move out of her parent’s home. She comes from a dysfunctional family and is...

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