First is a book that the title and premise just cracked me up! Charlie Joe Jackson's Gui
de to NOT Reading by Tommy Greenwald. Charlie Joe Jackson is like many of my students, a VERY reluctant reader. He has gotten so far in life, all the way to middle school, not ever having to read a whole book, thanks to his best friend Timmy McGibney. But now, Timmy is tired of covering for Charlie Joe, and now Charlie Joe must figure out a way to pass class, and hopefully keep his record going of NOT reading a book.
Second is a book called The Wikkeling by Steven Arnston. The cover is what drew
me in, it's kind of creepy, as the name might set you off. This seems to be a somewhat futuristic, maybe even dystopian type of book. The main character is named Henrietta. Everything in her world is computers and technology, all childredn are watched by cameras at all times of the day, to make sure they are SAFE. Henrietta goes to a very competitive school, and doesn't have a lot of friends until she meets Gary and Rose. All of them have these headaches with no cause they know of. Then Henrietta finds a wild cat in the attic above her bedroom, which leads to seeing another creature, with the long fingers you see on the cover, that calls itself a wikkeling. Of course the three must solve a mystery and try to beat this scary creature.
Third and final children's level book is called The Witches' Guide to Cooking With Chil
dren by Keith McGowan. First again, you have to love the title of this book! It's totally like a fairy tale told from the other side. Our main characters are Sol and Connie who have moved to a new town. The first person to really welcome them is an older lady and her dog, who carries a bone around in his mouth. Sol is a bright boy, and so knows that the bone is a human bone. And now they must determine what secrets are in this small town.
