Hound Dog True

Here is the information from Good Reads:


Hound Dog True by Linda Urban
Hound Dog True 3.94 Rating details: 82 ratings and 38 reviews

Do not let a mop sit overnight in water.Fix things before they get too big for fixing.Custodial wisdom: Mattie Breen writes it all down. She has just one week to convince Uncle Potluck to take her on as his custodial apprentice at Mitchell P. Anderson Elementary School. One week until school starts and she has to be the new girl again. But if she can be Uncle Potluck’s apprentice, she'll have important work to do during lunch and recess. Work that will keep her safely away from the other fifth-graders.

But when her custodial wisdom goes all wrong, Mattie's plan comes crashing down. And only then does she begin to see how one small, brave act can lead to a friend who is hound dog true.

Hardcover, 176 pages
Published September 19th 2011 by Harcourt Children's Books


I was not able to accurately evaluate this book because I was in a very very grouchy mood when I read it. Other people whose opinions I respect have loved it, and I think it could be a good choice for Joliet Reads. (And joy of joys, only 176 pages!)

If You Give a Dog a Donut

If You Give a Dog a Donut by Laura Numeroff

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


Donuts......

Seriously, we all know the formula, but it works! Cute illustrations, circular story, donuts! And apple picking, softball, a happy dance, water fight, piratical treasure hunt and kite flying! Who knew you could fit so much fun into 32 pages?

Could be a Joliet Reads possibility for preschool or kindergarten.





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Animal Baths

Animal Baths by Bob Barner

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


Ever wondered how animals take baths? This engaging book tells how monkeys, elephants, ducks and other animals get clean.

This book is appropriate for toddlers, preschoolers and early elementary school students.

It could be a good choice for Joliet Reads preschoolers.



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Dead End in Norvelt

Dead End in Norvelt by Jack Gantos

My rating: 2 of 5 stars


I didn't feel the love for Dead End in Norvelt. I think I was overwhelmed by all of the death - the mice, the town, little old ladies. It also troubled me that people in the community didn't seem very upset that someone they knew was a serial killer who targeted elderly women. Wh-wh-what?



I do NOT recommend this book for Joliet Reads.







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Not actually a book....

It's a warm October day with bright sunshine and a vivid blue sky. So of course, logically, I just listened to a... Christmas CD. More precisely, a winter CD titled "Sing the Cold Winter Away" by Kathy Reid-Naiman.

Loved it! The music was beautiful with varied instrumentation, sometimes including "old timey" instruments like dulcimer and penny whistle. I also appreciated the song choices and the vocalist's lovely voice.

City of Shadows

City of Shadows: A Novel of Suspense by Ariana Franklin

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


Set in Berlin between World War I and World War II, this book gave me a greater understanding of how Hitler was able to come to power.

For whatever reason, I never reached a "just can't put the book down" point in the book, but it was interesting historically between its focus on a possible Princess Anastasia and Germany's challenges between the world wars.









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