Have you ever heard the saying, "People plan. G-d laughs." That would pretty much describe the past two weeks of my life. I made a pledge to myself to update this blog every Monday, and then Ida brought 6 inches of pond water into my basement from end to end. *Sigh* So no more promises, but here is what I've read since I posted last:
I really enjoyed the first two books in this magical middle grade series by Zetta Elliott. When Jaxon's mother asks a women named Ma to watch him so she can try to make sure they are not evicted from their apartment, Jaxon has no idea what his mother is getting him into. It turns out that Ma is a witch and she needs Jaxon to help her deliver three dragons. But when Ma gets trapped in the past, Jaxon turns to his best friend Vikram for help. Things seemed to go well until they realize that Vikram's sister has stolen one of the dragons. This series is fun, action packed, and has a lot to say about responsibility and friendship. It is definitely a middle grade must have.
Brewster's Millions was one of my favorite movies growing up, so I really loved Stacy McAnulty's middle grade version, Millionaires for the Month. When Felix and Benji find a wallet on a school trip belonging to millionaire Laura Friendly, Benji decides that she won't miss the $20 he finds inside to buy a hot dog. But Laura Friendly understands that every penny has value, so instead of simply rewarding the boys for finding her wallet, she gives them a challenge - spend $5,368,709.12 in 30 days and get 10 million dollars. The catch - no one can know what they are doing and why. If that was hard to do as an adult, for two kids in middle school, that's practically impossible. I loved watching these two opposite kids learn how to work together, seeing their friendship develop, and finding out what they decide to buy. Middle graders will love Millionaires for the Month.
