Ant, or Antonia as her parents like to call her, is different from her two perfect sisters. She dresses in camouflage and black, she isn’t into ballet, and her hair is unruly and brown instead of styled and blond. Ant feels as if she can’t do anything right, so she may as well lie about everything. It’s easier and more fun. The only things Ant seems to care about are her best friend Harrison and her tiny dog Pistachio. Before long though her lying becomes too much and starts to jeopardize things for those she cares about.
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Cuban-born Michael Arroyo is a phenomenal little league baseball player. One day he hopes to play for the pros, but for this year, he is hoping his Bronx little league team can make it to the Little League World Series in Williamsport, Pennsylvania. At 12 years old, this is his last chance. Michael is so good that players and coaches from other teams begin to question his age. What will happen to Michael if he can’t get a copy of his birth certificate from Cuba? In addition to this difficulty, Michael and his brother Carlos have been keeping a secret. Their father died in March and they are trying to make it on their own until Carlos turns 18 in nine months. I loved this story!
Mrs. Spisak
Tags: baseball, Bronx, Cuba, death, family, fiction, friends, little league, Mike Lupica, New York, realistic fiction, secret, spanish, Yankees
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Shortly after moving to Florida, India Opal Buloni adopts a dog she names Winn-Dixie, after the supermarket where she finds him. Winn-Dixie becomes her first true friend. Soon after, she begins to make many unusual friends who help her deal with the loss of her mother. Very sweet story.
Mrs. Spisak
Tags: dog, fiction, Florida, grief, Kate DiCamillo, realistic fiction
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Delia and her friends have been preparing for the World Double Dutch Championships forever, it seems. Jumping Double Dutch is their favorite thing to do. But Delia is keeping a secret that may prevent them from jumping in the championships. I liked the friendships in this book and how the characters eventually choose to deal with their problems. Plus, the double dutching in it is fun!
Mrs. Spisak
Tags: african-american literature, double dutch, fiction, friendship, realistic fiction
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When Sarah Byrnes was three years old she was badly burned in a mysterious accident and her father refused to allow her to get reconstructive surgery. Eric Calhoun, Moby to his friends, eats constantly and has the size to prove it. Because they both have the “terminal uglies” as they call it, Sarah and Eric become best friends. When Eric joins the high school swim team and starts to slim down and Sarah confronts the “mystery” of her accident, their friendship undergoes a test that leaves Sarah hospitalized. Will they be able to get through the pain and come out on the other side stronger? Chirs Crutcher weaves a powerful story about the joys and pains of friendship.
Mrs. Branyon
Tags: bullying, family relationships, friendship, realistic fiction, school
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As the school bully is terrorizing him, Roy Eberhardt sees a boy running outside of the bus window. His desire to find out more about the running boy leads him on an adventure that involves potty-trained alligators, poisonous snakes with sparkling tales, and a quest to stop a big corporation from building in his town. I love a good story that shows how kids can make a difference in the world!
Mrs. Spisak
Tags: alligators, bully, environment, fiction, Florida, owls, realistic fiction, snakes
