Absolutely Truly: A Pumpkin Falls Mystery by Heather Vogel Frederick

Back Cover
An unsent letter in a first edition copy of Charlotte’s Web leads to a hunt for treasure in this heartwarming middle grade mystery from the author of The Mother-Daughter Book Club.

Now that Truly Lovejoy’s father has been injured by an IED in Afghanistan and is having trouble finding work back home, the family moves from Texas to tiny Pumpkin Falls, New Hampshire, to take over Lovejoy’s Books, a struggling bookstore that’s been in the family for one hundred years.

With two older brothers and two younger sisters clamoring for attention, her mother back in school, and everyone up to their eyebrows trying to keep Lovejoy’s Books afloat, Truly feels more overlooked than usual. So she pours herself into uncovering the mystery of an undelivered letter she finds stuck in a valuable autographed first edition of Charlotte’s Web, which subsequently goes missing from the bookshop. What’s inside the envelope leads Truly and her new Pumpkin Falls friends on a madcap treasure hunt around town, chasing clues that could spell danger.

My Thoughts
I really liked this book a lot. The moment you read about the father and what he went through and what his family went through for military, it just sticks with you. You feel for the girl, Truly, and how she feels lost in her family. A new school. New house. New everything. Who can blame her for feeling this way? I would feel the same. Truly is hilarious and very smart for her 12 year old self. I was impressed with her and her friends smarts and how well they did with the clues for the mystery. I think an unsung character would be Aunt True. She livens things up and sort of brings the family back together, almost back to normal. She's the crazy they needed to become their crazy family again. I think Aunt True was one of my favorite characters after Truly. They both hold the story together.

4 out of 5 stars.

What the Dog Said by Randi Reisfeld

This is a great story of love, loss, and finding a way to get back 'normal'. Grace is a young girl whose father has died. He was killed by an unknown gang member. When Grace's sister insists they adopt a dog, Grace goes along for the ride, a little begrudgingly. What she finds at the pound is Rex, a talking dog. Yes, that's right. A. talking. dog. Rex is a great dog. Perfect for Grace. He helps her out of her funk and gets her back to her 'normal'. All along the way, Grace wonders though, Who or What is Rex? Is he just a dog? Is she going insane? Or is Rex her dad's soul reincarnate? Grace's journey of healing is sure to make you laugh, cry, and have a good ole time...like any dog with a good book.

5 out of 5 stars! Great book that brings out emotions from the reader!

Booktalk

Oh the booktalk. How I hate thee. NO really, I do. I hate being in front of the camera and I hate having to talk about something (a book) that I like to myself essentially. It took me 15 takes to get it all together and still, I didn't really get it all together. You could tell I was reading a script but really 4 books and I'm supposed to just know? I have a horrible memory. Anyways, if you'd like to see my booktalk here's the link...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vVTUTtp-Oc8



I'm warning you though...I suck. It was my first time.
The books I talk about are: Pippi Longstocking, Ella Enchanted, Ramona Quimby Age 8, and Protector of the Small.


Personally, my favorite is Protector of the Small by Tamora Pierce.

Would you read one of the books mentioned? What do you think of my booktalk? Have you read any of the books?

Nonfiction Books- 4th-6th grade

First of all,

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!!! What are you dressing up as? or what are your kids dressing up as? My husband and I are a zombie couple and our daughter is going as a peacock! So CUTE!

Now for the books. These are all nonfiction books for 4th-6th grade students. These were assigned reading for my lit class.

The Boston Tea Party by Russell Freedman (2012): Surprisingly, I enjoyed this book. It was very educational and told the Boston Tea Party story in an interesting manner with lots of great pictures. It would be a great book to use for a lesson on the BTP or for a book report about the event.
3 out of 3 stars!

Bodies From the Ice by James Deem (2008): This book was by far my favorite of the ones we had to read for class. It's long but worth the read! It's photographs of the bodies found in the ice are phenomonal and are sure to bring in even the readers who don't like nonfiction (like me!). It reminded me of BONES tv show in the way that they described the bones, photographed the findings and told the story of the body. I thought this was a great great great book. I also found out it is part of series!
3 out of 3 stars! Definitely read this book!

There are 2 more books we read Butterflies and What to do About Alice? but honestly, they weren't all that great. Alice is a book about President Roosevelt's daughter Alice and her life and adventures. Butterflies is exactly what you think, it's about butterflies and moths. I did learn that silk worms are moths though so yay!